ROCHESTER, Mich. – The Northern Kentucky softball program kept its spot near the top of the Horizon League standings as the Norse split their conference doubleheader against host Oakland at the Oakland Softball Field on Friday afternoon.
 
NKU got knocked off in the opening contest, 3-1, but followed it up with a big 8-1 game two win. With the victory, the Norse are now 3-1 in conference play, a mark that ranks second overall in the league.
 
 
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky – 1, Oakland – 3 (7 innings)
LOCATION: Oakland Softball Field – Rochester, Michigan
RECORDS: NKU 7-18 (2-1 HL), OAK 6-7 (2-1 HL)
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 
- Ella LeMonier paced the Norse offense once again in the series opener as she went 2-for-4 at the plate with a RBI and a stolen base.
- Charly Koehler added a 1-for-3 game at the dish with a run scored.
- Sydni Barnes (1-for-4), Megan Kincer (1-for-3) and Brielle DiMemmo (1-for-3) also added hits for the Norse.
- Alicia Flores got the hard luck loss in the circle after she went for a complete game with six innings of work that included just five hits, three runs (all earned) and eight strikeouts.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED 
- NKU got on the board first off a LeMonier RBI single up the middle that plated Koehler as the Norse jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the third.
- Oakland responded right back with a run in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game at 1-1.
- The Golden Grizzlies took the lead back in the bottom of the fifth with two more runs to take a 3-1 advantage.
- Oakland was able to keep Northern Kentucky off the board over the final two frames to close out the victory.
 
 
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky – 8, Oakland – 1 (7 innings)
LOCATION: Oakland Softball Field – Rochester, Michigan
RECORDS: NKU 8-18 (3-1 HL), OAK 6-8 (2-2 HL)
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 
- Maddie Lacer broke out in a big way with a 2-for-3 contest with a game-best four RBI and a run scored.
- Ella LeMonier had another big game with a 2-for-4 contest that included two runs scored.
- Trinity Robertson brought out the big stick with a home run that concluded a 2-for-4 game with one homer, three RBI and a run scored.
- Sydni Barnes also added a RBI with a 1-for-3 performance with a RBI and two runs scored.
- Tatum Biddle (1-for-3), Charly Koehler (1-for-3) and Brielle DiMemmo (1-for-3) also picked up hits for the Norse.
- Koehler also added a run scored.
- Madisyn Eads spun a gem in the circle with a complete game that included seven innings of work, five hits and one run allowed (earned) to go with two punchouts.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED 
- Oakland got the game started off on a high note with a run in the bottom of the first to take a 1-0 lead.
- It was all NKU from that point on as the Norse would go on to score eight unanswered runs.
- Northern Kentucky dropped three runs in the fourth, three in the fifth and another two insurance runs in the seventh to seal the 8-1 blowout victory.
 
 
NEXT UP 
The Norse conclude their Horizon League series against Oakland with a final showdown on Sunday, March 26. First pitch is set for 1 PM ET. NKU fans and supporters can follow along live with the action here.
 
 
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