CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Northern Kentucky softball program fell in its opening game of the Coach B Classic as the Norse were clipped by host Southern Illinois by a 10-1 margin in a non-conference game at Charlotte West Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
 
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky – 1, Southern Illinois – 10 (6 innings)
LOCATION: Charlotte West Stadium – Carbondale, Illinois
RECORDS: NKU 2-4 (0-0 HL), SIU 7-2 (0-0 MVC) 
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 
- Olivia Pastin recorded the lone Norse RBI in the contest as she finished 1-for-3 at the dish. It was her second RBI so far this season. The Crestwood, Ky. native is hitting .429 on the year, a mark that ranks fourth in the Horizon League.
- Jena Rhoads picked up NKU's other hit on the afternoon with a 1-for-3 performance at the plate.
- Sydni Barnes scored Northern Kentucky's only run in the contest.
- Barnes and Tatum Biddle each recorded a stolen base for the Norse.
- Lauryn Hicks pitched a scoreless 2/3 of an inning in relief.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED 
- The Norse jumped on the board right away in the top of the first inning as Pastin ripped a single to center field to plate Barnes as NKU took an early 1-0 lead.
- After shutting out the Salukis in the bottom half of the inning, it was all Southern Illinois from that point forward as SIU added three runs in the bottom of the second, three in the bottom of the fifth and another four in the bottom of the sixth to close out the non-conference victory.
 
NEXT UP 
The Norse are right back in action for day No. 2 of the Coach B Classic on Saturday, Feb. 25. NKU takes on SIUE at 11:30 AM ET and follows it up with a rematch against Southern Illinois at 4 PM. Fans and supporters can follow along with the live stats of both contests here.
 
 
FOLLOW NKU NORSE SOFTBALL 
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