WILMINGTON, N.C. – A three-run top of the fifth and a five-run top of the sixth led the Northern Kentucky softball team to a thrilling 8-5 comeback win over DePaul on Sunday morning to close out its stay at the UNCW Home Weekend Tournament.
 
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky – 8, DePaul – 5 (7 innings)
LOCATION: The Stick Williams Dream Fields – Wilmington, North Carolina
RECORDS: NKU 2-3 (0-0 HL), DePaul 0-4 (0-0 Big East)
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Ella LeMonier paced the Norse at the top of the order as she finished with a 2-for-4 day that included three RBI.
- Sydni Barnes continued her hot start to the year with another 1-for-2 outing that included two RBI and two runs scored.
- Megan Lenhart (1-for-3, two runs, one walk) and Mack Brow (RBI sacrifice fly) also added runs batted in for the Norse.
- Tatum Biddle (2-for-3, two runs) and Megan Kincer (1-for-2, one run, one walk) contributed big games for NKU as well.
- Charley Koehler added a run for Northern Kentucky.
- Madisyn Eads ended the opening tournament on a stellar run. She picked up the win on Sunday, her first of the season, with 5.2 scoreless innings. She has now started the season with 15.1 scoreless frames to go with seven strikeouts. Teams are batting just .179 against her.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- It was all DePaul early as the Blue Demons put three runs on the board in the bottom of the first and another two in the second to jump out to a 5-0 lead.
- Northern Kentucky was held hitless through the first four innings but flipped the script in the top of the fifth.
- Biddle got things going with a bunt single and Lenhart quickly drove her home with a double to center to make it 5-1.
- Kincer loaded the bases for the Norse with another single with just one out.
- Brow knocked in Lenhart with a sacrifice fly to center. She was followed by a LeMonier single to left center to score Barnes to make it a 5-3 game.
- The Norse then dropped five runs in the top of the sixth off of just two hits. Walks and wild pitches were taken advantage as Biddle, Lenhart, Koehler, Kincer and Barnes all came around to score. The wild inning allowed NKU to jump ahead 8-5.
- DePaul could only muster two hits over the final two innings as Northern Kentucky closed out the comeback win. The Blue Demons couldn't get a base runner past first base over the final two frames.
 
SATURDAY'S ACTION
The Norse dropped two games to North Dakota State and Furman on Saturday. NKU was on the wrong side of both contests by a 5-2 margin. DeMemmo stood out in the day's opener with a 1-for-2 performance that included Northern Kentucky's two runs batted in. Eads went four scoreless innings in the circle with a punch out. LeMonier (1-for-4) knocked in NKU's only RBI in the second matchup of the day. Eads again went for 2.2 scoreless innings with another strikeout.
 
 
NEXT UP 
Northern Kentucky hits the road once again for a trip down South. The Norse head to the Wofford Invitational that runs Friday, February 16 through Sunday, February 18 in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
 
 
FOLLOW NKU NORSE SOFTBALL 
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