HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky softball will take a break from Horizon League action, heading to Athens, Ohio, to take on Ohio University on Tuesday, March 26. First pitch of the single game is set for 5 p.m. ET.
LAST TIME OUT: The Norse fell to IUPUI in all three games of the Horizon League-opening series, bookended by a pair of tight matchups, 4-2 in eight innings in the series opener and 1-0 in the finale.
Josie Frazier led the Norse at the plate, batting .500 with five hits, a run scored and a run batted in.
Toree Stalter and
Madi Mulder both drove in two runs apiece, and
Kambra Crist scored a pair of runs for NKU. In the circle,
Taylor Ginther posted a 1.40 ERA, striking out nine batters while walking just one in 15.0 innings of work.
SCOUTING OHIO: The Bobcats are the reigning Mid-American Conference regular-season and tournament champions, and have seen similar success with a 21-10 overall record and a 3-0 mark after the first weekend of MAC play. Ohio's biggest strength is its power at the plate, as the team ranks 33
rd nationally in batting average (.310), 32
nd in slugging percentage (.501) and 22
nd with 1.29 home runs per game. Katie Yun and Morgan Geno have combined for 22 of the team's 40 home runs this season, each with 11 to her name to tie for 14th nationally. Yun has also clubbed 10 doubles, and Geno is third nationally with 45 runs driven in. In the circle, Ohio relies primarily on Madi McCrady and Mackensie Kohl with 117.2 and 77.2 innings pitched, respectively. McCrady has fanned 107 batters and walked 56, holding a 3.63 ERA, while Kohl holds a 2.88 ERA with 48 strikeouts and 28 walks. NKU and Ohio have met just one time in program history, with the Bobcats claiming a five-inning victory on Feb. 8, 2015 in a neutral-site game.
