KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Northern Kentucky softball program took on one of the best teams in the nation in the Norse's first NCAA Regional game in program history against No. 4 Tennessee on Friday evening. NKU played the Lady Vols tough through the first two innings before Tennessee pulled away with a 12-0 victory inside a near sold-out crowd in Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky – 0, Tennessee – 12 (5 innings)
LOCATION: Sherri Parker Lee Stadium – Knoxville, Tennessee
RECORDS: NKU 23-31 (13-9 HL), UT 45-8 (19-4 SEC)
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
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Lauryn Hicks recorded three punchouts in the circle.
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Alicia Flores recorded a scoreless 0.1 innings of work.
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Tatum Biddle and
Brielle DiMemmo each recorded a walk in the contest.
- The game was the first NCAA Tournament appearance for the Norse in school history.
- The contest was played in front of a near sold-out crowd of 2,071 inside Lee Stadium.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Tennessee got on the board right away with a solo shot in the bottom of the first to take a 1-0 lead. The Lady Volunteers kept the pressure on as they loaded the bases with just one out in the inning. Hicks then set down the next two Tennessee batters on strikeouts to keep it a 1-0 game.
- The Lady Vols struck big in the bottom of the third with a six-run inning to push their advantage to 7-0.
- Tennessee kept pouring it on with another five runs in the bottom of the fourth to extend its lead to 12-0.
- The Lady Vols then set down the NKU side in the top of the fifth to seal the run-rule victory.
NEXT UP
The Norse will be right back in action for the elimination game of the Knoxville Regional as Northern Kentucky will take on Louisville on Saturday, May 20. First pitch between the Norse and Cardinals is set for 3:30 PM ET and the contest will be played in front of a national audience on ESPN+.
FOLLOW NKU NORSE SOFTBALL
Get in the game and follow Northern Kentucky's NCAA Division I softball team through @NKUNorseSB on Twitter, @nkunorsesb on Instagram, nkunorsesball on Facebook and subscribe to the NKU Norse Youtube channel.