Jenny Weis launches a two-run homer

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Jenny Weis went 3-for-3 with a two-run homer and three runs scored in the first game of a doubleheader Sunday as Northern Kentucky University posted a 10-2 win over Missouri-St. Louis.

Weis, a freshman catcher and a graduate of Ryle High School, later scored three more times as NKU completed the sweep with a 13-5 win in the nightcap. The Norse wrapped up the regular season with a 35-17 overall record, including a 15-9 mark in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

NKU will be the No. 6 seed in the GLVC Tournament, which begins Friday at East Peoria, Ill. The Norse will meet No. 3 seed Lewis at 10 a.m. (CDT) in the first round of the double-elimination event.

NKU held a 4-1 lead in the third inning of the opener when Weis stepped to the plate with Katybeth Coode on second. Weis smashed a delivery from Missouri-St. Louis pitcher Lindsay Reinagel over the fence in right-center field to extend NKU’s advantage to 6-1.

It was the second home run of the season for Weis, who has a .719 slugging percentage.

Coode was 3-for-3 for the Norse, while Heather Cotner went 2-for-3 with two RBI. Amanda Smith scattered six hits and notched her 19th victory of the season.

Smith, from Canal Winchester, Ohio, needs just one victory to become the second freshman in NKU history to reach the 20-win plateau. Emily Breitholle also won 20 games as a freshman in 2002.

In the second game, Sarah King went 4-for-5 with a homer and four RBI to lead the NKU offense. The Norse pounded out 21 hits and broke open a close game by scoring five times in the fifth inning.

Weis crosses the plate after hitting the home run

King gave NKU an early 2-0 lead by hammering her sixth home run of the season with a runner aboard. The Norse added three runs in the second inning for a 5-0 lead, but Missouri-St. Louis scored a run in the third and plated three more in the fifth to make it a 5-4 game.

NKU countered by scoring five times in the bottom of the fifth. Shatona Campbell’s bases-loaded triple highlighted the NKU outburst. King and Coode also had run-scoring singles in the fifth.

NKU senior Ricki Rothbauer went 3-for-5 and scored three runs in her final home game Sunday. Rothbauer, an All-American second baseman last season, also added two RBI.

Cotner was 2-for-3 with two RBI in her final home game, while Cara Parker added three hits. Weis finished 2-for-3 and scored three runs in the nightcap. Freshman pitcher Candace White went five innings and recorded her 16th win of the season.

NKU is currently ranked No. 6 in the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region poll. Eight teams from each region will be selected for the upcoming NCAA Division II Tournament. The winner of the GLVC Tournament will receive an automatic berth in the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region Tournament.

The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champions will also receive automatic berths to the Great Lakes Region Tournament. Five at-large squads will also qualify for that eight-team event.

A year ago, NKU won its first-ever GLVC Tournament championship.

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GAME 2 BOX SCORE