HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky softball program wanted to make sure its seniors ended the regular season on a high note as the Norse clinched its best Horizon League finish in program history with a 10-9 walk off win over conference rival Youngstown State in the season finale on Saturday afternoon.
With the victory, Northern Kentucky claimed the third seed for the upcoming Horizon Championships. It was the best season finish for the Norse since NKU joined the conference.
To make the moment even better, Northern Kentucky also celebrated its three graduating seniors;
Payton Welch,
Mackenzie Mitchell and
Kaylee McGinn with a special pregame ceremony that got the day's action underway.
NKU's big win came after YSU took the opening game of the twin bill by a 3-1 margin.
GAME ONE – THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky – 1, Youngstown State – 3 (7 innings)
LOCATION: Frank Ignatius Grein Field – Highland Heights, Kentucky
RECORDS: NKU 18-29 (12-9 HL), YSU 24-24 (12-9 HL)
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
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Brielle DiMemmo led the Norse offense with a 1-for-2 game that included NKU's RBI in the contest.
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Sydni Barnes also had a 1-for-2 opener and added a run scored.
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Jena Rhoads (1-for-3),
Kayla Shymkewich (1-for-2) and
Trinity Robertson (1-for-1) were the other Norse student-athletes that collected hits.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Youngstown State started the game on fire with a run in the top of the first, second and third innings to jump out to a 3-0 lead. It would be all the offense the Penguins could muster in the day's opener.
- Northern Kentucky tried to answer back with a run of its own in the bottom of the fifth off a DiMemmo single to right that plated Barnes as NKU made it a 3-1 game.
- Neither side could score again as the Norse and Penguins played two scoreless innings to end the game that allowed Youngstown State to escape with the win.
GAME TWO – THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky – 10, Youngstown State – 9 (10 innings)
LOCATION: Frank Ignatius Grein Field – Highland Heights, Kentucky
RECORDS: NKU 19-29 (13-9 HL), YSU 24-25 (12-10 HL)
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Seven different Norse student-athletes collected hits in the game.
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Tatum Biddle had a huge contest with a 3-for-4 outing that included three RBI and three runs scored.
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Jena Rhoads (1-for-5, two RBI, run scored),
Maddie Lacer (1-for-5, two RBI) and
Megan Lenhart (2-for-5, one RBI) all drove in runs for the Norse.
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Ella LeMonier also had a big game with a 2-for-5 performance at the dish to go with two runs scored.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- It was one of the most exciting games of the regular season as NKU and YSU battled in a back-and-forth affair.
- Northern Kentucky got out to a fast 7-0 lead with a single run in the bottom of the first and another six in the second.
- Youngstown State answered right back with six runs in the top of the third to cut the NKU advantage to 7-6.
- NKU responded in the bottom half of the third with another run to make it an 8-6 contest.
- Youngstown State tied the game in the top of the sixth at 8-8 before the late-inning dramatics took place.
- The Penguins went ahead with a run in the top of the seventh, but the Norse roared right back with a run in the bottom of the inning to send the game to extras.
- The two squads then played 2.5 scoreless innings before DiMemmo sent the NKU fans home happy with a RBI single that scored Biddle to collect the 10-9 walk off victory in the bottom of the tenth.
NEXT UP
The Norse head to Green Bay as the No. 3 seed in the Horizon League Championships. NKU is set for a rematch with Youngstown State in the opening round of the tournament on Wednesday, May 10. First pitch is set for 3:30 PM ET. Fans and supporters
can watch the contest nationwide on ESPN+ or
follow along with the live stats of the game here.
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.
