JACKSONVILLE – The Northern Kentucky softball program had two big games at the plate, but it wasn't enough as the Norse dropped contests to Troy and North Florida on the second day of the UNF Spring Break Challenege on Saturday.
 

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky – 2, Troy – 9 (7 innings)
LOCATION: UNF Softball Complex – Jacksonville, Florida
RECORDS: NKU 4-14 (0-0 HL), Troy 18-7 (0-0 Sun Belt)
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 
- Ella LeMonier and Jena Rhoads had a big opener for the Norse. LeMonier went 3-for-4 with a run scored while Rhoads hit 2-for-4 with two RBI.
- Trinity Robertson (1-for-3), Charly Koehler (1-for-2), Megan Kincer (1-for-2) and Kayla Shymkewich (1-fo-2) also picked up hits for the Norse.
- Madisyn Eads had an effective day in the circle for NKU in relief as she went 2.2 innings with just a single run allowed to go with two punchouts.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- NKU jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first off a RBI single by Rhoads to make it 1-0.
- Troy responded back with a run in the top of the second to tie the game at 1-1.
- Rhoads recorded another RBI in the bottom of the third to put NKU back in the lead at 2-1.
- Troy went off for eight runs in the fifth inning and held NKU scoreless over its four final frames to close out the 9-2 victory.
 
 
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky – 5, North Florida – 7 (7 innings)
LOCATION: UNF Softball Complex – Jacksonville, Florida
RECORDS: NKU 4-15 (0-0 HL), UNF 14-6 (0-0 ASUN)
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 
- Ella LeMonier, Sydni Barnes and Maddie Lacer paced the NKU attack. LeMonier went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, Barnes went 2-for-2 with two RBI and a run scored and Lacer added a 1-for-2 day with two RBI.
- Jena Rhoads also had a big game with a 2-for-3 appearance that included a RBI.
- Mackenzie Mitchell added a 2-for-2 contest at the dish.
- Alicia Flores threw one scoreless inning in relief that included a strikeout.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED 
- NKU jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first off a RBI single by Lacer to make it 1-0.
- North Florida responded right back with three runs in the bottom half of the inning to take a 3-1 edge.
- The Norse and Barnes answered back with a RBI single in the top of the second to make it 3-2.
- UNF once again responded right away with two runs in the bottom half of the inning to push the advantage to 5-2.
- North Florida added another two runs in the bottom of the fourth to make it a 7-2 game.
- NKU fought back with three runs in the top of the seventh, but it was too little, too late as UNF collected the 7-5 win.
 
 
NEXT UP 
The Norse conclude their time at the UNF Spring Break Challenge with one final game on Sunday, March 12. NKU will take on Army at 11 AM ET to close out the tournament.
 

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