YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Northern Kentucky University Norse softball took on Green Bay in the Horizon League Championship Semifinal on Friday, with the winner earning a spot in the Championship Final on Saturday. The Norse battled the Phoenix in a close game but never led until the contest went into extra innings. Northern Kentucky senior
Jena Rhoads blasted a solo shot deep to center in the eighth as the Norse took down Phoenix, moving on to the final day.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: #2 Northern Kentucky – 4, #5 Green Bay – 3
LOCATION: Covelli Sports Complex – Youngstown, Ohio
RECORDS: NKU: 25-23 | Green Bay: 16-30
GAME SUMMARY
– Northern Kentucky and Green Bay went scoreless over the first three innings before the Phoenix took a lead in the fourth on a triple and a sacrifice fly. The Norse played copycat as
Jena Rhoads tripled in the bottom of the fourth and
Brielle DiMemmo brought her home with a sac fly to tie the game at one. Green Bay answered with a two-run double in the fifth, taking a 3-1 lead. The Norse put a pair of runners in scoring position on a single from
Lexy Morris and a double from
Emma Ginn.
Morgan Heinecke hit a sharp ground ball to first, who fired home after stepping on the bag, but the Phoenix catcher dropped the ball, allowing two Norse runs to score and tie the game at three. Norse pitcher
Makaree Chapman got nine straight outs over the sixth, seventh, and eighth, putting the Norse in position to win the game. With one out in the eighth,
Jena Rhoads went deep for the first time in 2026, launching a solo home run just past the center field fence, as the Norse clinched a spot in the Horizon League Softball Championship Final for the third time in four years.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
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Alicia Flores got the start after a phenomenal opening day where she earned a complete-game victory over Detroit Mercy. She threw 4.1 innings of three-run ball, striking out three batters before being pulled at 72 pitches.
Makaree Chapman relieved her in the fifth and finished the game remarkably, as she allowed just one baserunner over three-and-two-thirds, allowing zero earned runs. Chapman earned the victory and moved to 8-11 on the season.
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Jena Rhoads led the Norse offense as she batted 2-4 with a homer and a triple, scoring two runs.
– Chapman also batted 2-3 with a pair of singles on the day.
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Lexy Morris batted 1-2 with a run scored and a walk.
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Emma Ginn went 1-3 with a double, and
Kenzie Gulley went 1-4 with a double.
NEXT UP
Northern Kentucky will take on the winner of Robert Morris and Green Bay on Saturday at 1 PM. While Northern Kentucky would clinch a Horizon League title with a win, the Norse would play on Sunday with a loss in Saturday's championship.
FOLLOW NKU NORSE SOFTBALL
Get in the game and follow Northern Kentucky's NCAA Division I softball team through @NKUNorseSB on Twitter, @nkusoftball on Instagram, nkunorsesballon Facebook and subscribe to the NKU Norse YouTube channel.
