HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky softball split its first two Horizon League matchups against Green Bay Friday afternoon, both of which finished with a 1-0 score line. NKU moves to 2-8 on the year and Green Bay slides to 6-4. Both teams are also 1-1 in league play now and the all-time series also remains deadlocked, moving to 7-7.
  At the Plate 

• Ella LeMonier and Madi Mulder were the only two Norse to grab a hit.
• LeMonier singled to center field and now has seven hits on the season.
• Mulder's hit ended in an RBI double that drove in Natalia Lozada, scoring the only run of the game.

In the Circle 

• Lauryn Hicks was tasked with pitching to open the double-header.
• Hicks faced 28 batters and allowed only two hits.
• Of the batters she faced, eleven of them ended by way of strikeout. The eleven strikeouts are the most by a Norse pitcher this season.
• The win moves her to 2-4 on the season.

Scoring Summary 

• Green Bay put a runner in scoring position in the top half of the second, but Hicks induced a flyout to close out the frame.
• Mulder delivered an RBI double to centerfield, scoring Natalia Lozada. Lozada pinch ran for Kendyl McKeough, who reached via walk to lead off the home half of the second.
• The Phoenix also got a runner to second in the fifth, but once again Hicks shut the door with a strikeout and pop-up.
• The final scoring threat for GB came in the seventh. A hit-by-pitch and double put runners at second and third with one out. Hicks got out No. 2 via another strikeout, but walked the bases loaded with two down. However, she completed the shutout by inducing a fielder's choice groundout.

At the Plate

• Ava Lawson, Hailey Whitmer, Mulder, Jordan Jenkins all ended with a single hit.
• Mulder's hit gave her two on the day and twelve on the season.
• Josie Frazier grabbed a pair of hits, one of which ended in a double to right center.

In the Circle

• Caitlin Karo earned the start for game two of the day.
• Karo threw fifteen pitches and faced four batters, striking out one.
• Faith Howard came on for Karo in the top of the second inning with two balls and two strikes.
• Howard pitched 9.0 innings, the most pitched by any Norse this season.
• Over the nine innings, she struck out seven batters, giving up one run on four hits and a walk.

Scoring Summary

• The Phoenix threatened in the first, but Karo forced a flyout and then struck out the final batter of the inning.
• Frazier smacked a two-out double. Using heads up base running, she took second as the GB centerfielder missed a diving attempt.
• Green Bay got another runner on second with one out if the fourth, but Howard got out of the jam thanks to a heads up double play on a lineout to Frazier at second.
• A Phoenix double in the fifth was squashed once more by Howard. The next two batters were retired via strikeout and flyout.
• The Norse threatened in their half of the fifth. Whitmer knocked a one-out double. Lozada, who was pinch running, moved to third on a ground out by Jenna O'Hair. But, Meghan Lenhart flew out to center to end the threat.
• Green Bay got two runners on again in the sixth and one in the seventh, but Howard worked out of both jams.
• Mulder and Jenkins both hit infield singles on sharply hit balls with one out in the seventh. Whitmer advanced both base runners, but O'Hair fouled out to end the scoring chance.
• Both teams threatened again in the eighth innings, but the pitchers were up to the task and snuffed out the opportunities.
• Howard took care of the visitors in the ninth and the Norse then put the pressure on again in their half, but were unable to plate the run.
• Green Bay hit a rocket through the left side in the top of the 10^th that resulted in an RBI single.
• NKU advanced Lenhart to third, but was unable to plate the run to keep the game alive.

 
Up Next 
Northern Kentucky and Green Bay return to Frank Ignatius Grein on Saturday, March 13 to close out the four game series. First pitch for the doubleheader is set for noon.