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By Chad Hensley, NKU Sports Information OWENSBORO, Ky. - One week removed from being on the winning end of an 11-inning thriller, Northern Kentucky University's Amanda Smith wasn't quite as fortunate this weekend as she and her fellow teammates dropped the first game of a softball doubleheader to Kentucky Wesleyan by a final score of 3-2. NKU (11-17, 4-6 Great Lakes Valley Conference) was able to salvage a split with the Panthers by scoring early and often in Game 2 en route to a 7-5 win. Game 1 got off to a very promising start for the Norse as lead-off hitter Stephanie West notched her first triple of the season. West would score when the next batter, Katybeth Coode, grounded out to the shortstop. Wesleyan quickly answered in the bottom of the inning with a lead-off single by Gabrielle Simmons and eventually scored when KWC pitcher Haleigh Ashworth helped her own cause with an RBI-single. The scoring took a halt until the top of the fifth inning when Coode, a native of Louisville, Ky., belted her team-leading sixth home run of the season. Wesleyan then evened the score in the bottom of the sixth when Olivia Randolph's RBI-single plated Suzy Gentil, who had doubled to begin the inning. Neither team had any luck pushing a runner across the plate until the Panthers did so in the bottom of the 11th. Mariel Hamer led the inning off with a double and was sacrificed over to third. Intentional walks to Simmons and Laura Helms loaded the bases for Ashworth who then proceed to give her the win by plating pinch runner Eden Bray on an RBI-single. Ashworth (4-9) ended her day in the circle striking out six, walking two and allowing just seven hits. Amanda Smith (5-4) gave up ten hits and struck out three while walking four. Game 2 started off the same way for the Norse but would end on a better note. Rose Broderick, a graduate of Oak Hills High School, plated Katybeth Coode in the top of the first on an RBI-single. Broderick advanced to third on the play and later scored when A. Smith executed a perfect suicide-squeeze play for the RBI. NKU added to the 2-0 lead in the top of the third stanza when Karen Simmons was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, scoring Broderick with two outs and earning Simmons' first RBI of the season. Chelsea Toler then singled in April Ehlers to give NKU an early 4-0 lead. KWC cut the lead down to 4-2 in the bottom of the third but NKU extended the lead when Ehlers, the starting pitcher for the Norse, helped her own cause in the top of the sixth when her two out single brought Broderick in from third. The Panthers would then score two more run in the bottom of the sixth on a Randolph triple but couldn't get any closer as Ehlers (4-9) mowed down eleven batters and didn't allow a walk as she earned her fourth win of the season while Randolph (2-8) took the loss for the Panthers. With
the split, NKU moves into eighth place in the GLVC standings
while KWC remains in last place. Due
to the massive amount of rainfall the Evansville area has seen
over the last few days, tomorrow's doubleheader
has been moved to the University of
Evansville's Cooper Stadium. First pitch of Game 1 in |
