HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Megan Owens went 2-for-3 with four runs batted in Thursday as the Northern Kentucky University softball team posted a 6-0 victory against West Virginia Wesleyan College in the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Tournament.
NKU opened the bottom of the first inning with three straight hits, but West Virginia Wesleyan starting pitcher Danielle Salmons retired the next two batters on grounders that resulted in force plays at the plate. That brought Heather Cotner to the plate with the bases loaded and two out.
Cotner hammered a Salmons pitch into the left-center field gap to drive in both Angie Lindeman and Becky Napier, and NKU held a 2-0 lead. Owens followed with a two-run single into center that gave the Norse a 4-0 advantage.
That was all the run support NKU starter Krystal Lewallen would need. The sophomore pitcher allowed just three hits en route to the shutout victory and improved to 29-3 this spring. She picked up seven strikeouts and did not walk a batter.
Lewallen, the Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Year, also recorded her 17th shutout and 28th complete game of the season. She is now 45-12 in two seasons at NKU.
NKU sealed the victory in the sixth inning by scoring twice. Owens smashed a two-run double into the right-center field gap to make it 6-0, and Lewallen recorded the final three outs in the seventh to send the Norse into a 3 p.m. Friday contest against second-seeded Lewis University (45-11) in the double-elimination event.
Lewis posted a 1-0 win over Grand Valley State University on Thursday.
Napier went 2-for-3 with two runs scored for NKU, which improved to 52-5. Sara Becker scored two runs for the Norse, who are the top seed in the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Tournament.
West Virginia Wesleyan, which defeated Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, 5-4 in eight innings earlier Thursday, dropped to 45-16. It also marked the second straight year the Bobcats lost to NKU in the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional.
NKU is seeking its first-ever Great Lakes Regional championship. The Norse are ranked No. 5 nationally in the NCAA Division II poll.
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Megan Owens |