DELAND, Fla. – Northern Kentucky softball dropped a pair of close contests, 3-1 to Sacred Heart and 2-1 to Stetson, to open up the Hatter Classic. NKU drops to 7-8 with the setbacks.
Game 1: Sacred Heart 3, NKU 1
At the Plate
- NKU out-hit the Pioneers, 7-4.
- Kailey Rossiter and Tatum Biddle both went 2-for-3 to lead the Norse. Biddle scored NKU's lone run of the game while Rossiter drove it in.
In the Circle
- Caitlin Karo started in the circle for the Norse, tossing 5.1 innings with three hits allowed. She struck out four batters and walked two, moving to 2-2 with the loss.
- Taylor Ginther pitched the remainder of the game, facing four batters.
Scoring Summary
- The Norse stranded four runners on base in the first four innings before capitalizing in the fifth. Biddle led the frame off with a single to third base, and was advanced by a sac bunt by Alexis McDaniel. She was then able to cross the plate courtesy of a Rossiter single up the middle.
- Sacred Heart got on the board in the bottom of the sixth as a single and a walk put a runner in scoring position. Another single allowed the Pioneers to tie it up, after which they took the lead with a third single in the frame. Sacred Heart tacked on one more run as the runner on third stole home.
- Biddle singled up the middle to lead off the seventh, but the Norse quickly faced two outs as the Pioneers turned a double play. NKU was unable to extend the contest any further with a groundout on the final at-bat.
Game 2: Stetson 2, NKU 1
At the Plate
- Both teams recorded three hits. NKU also committed three errors while Stetson had two.
- Ava Lawson went 2-for-3 with a home run. McDaniel also added a hit in the contest.
In the Circle
- Ginther pitched the complete game, allowing three hits while issuing two walks. She moves to 4-3 with the loss.
Scoring Summary
- Stetson scored quickly, using a walk, a stolen base, a sac bunt and a single to plate a run in the first inning. The Hatters' ace pitcher kept the Norse at bay for much of the contest with five strikeouts and two hits allowed through the first five frames.
- Lawson knotted the contest up in the sixth as she sent a solo home run over the center field fence.
- With runners on the corners in the bottom of the sixth, Stetson regained the lead after a squeeze play allowed one runner to reach home.
- The Norse were quickly retired in order in the final frame.
Norse Notes
- With a double against Sacred Heart, Lawson broke into NKU's all-time top-10 list for career doubles. She is now tied for ninth with Leah Hanna (1995-98) and Cara Parker (2006-09) with 34 doubles.
- Lawson also moved into sole possession of seventh on NKU's all-time home run list. She currently has 15 career homers, two away from tying Sydney Ferrante (2015-18) for sixth.
- With hits in both games, Lawson is now on an eight-game hitting streak and a nine-game reached-base streak.
Up Next
- The Norse face Fairfield in the first game on Saturday, with first pitch set for 10 a.m. ET. NKU then takes on Stetson once more at 5 p.m.
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