HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Stephanie Leimbach’s run-scoring single in the bottom of the sixth inning Saturday snapped a 5-5 tie and lifted the Northern Kentucky University softball team to a 6-5 victory over Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville at the Frank Ignatius Grein Softball Field.
Leimbach’s two-out single to center field drove in Ricki Rothbauer with the go-ahead run as NKU rallied for the win in the nightcap of the doubleheader. NKU’s Emily Breitholle allowed a two-out double by Veronica Schmidt in the top of the seventh inning, but the Norse pitcher struck out Holly Neuerburg to end the game.
Breitholle upped her season’s record to 11-1 for NKU, which is 39-3 overall. The Norse - ranked No. 8 nationally in the NCAA Division II poll - are 11-1 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference and in sole possession of first place in the league standings.
SIUE, ranked No. 17 nationally in the NCAA Division II poll, dropped to 29-13 overall. The Cougars are 11-3 in the GLVC.
Leimbach finished the nightcap 3-for-4 with three RBI. Rothbauer went 2-for-4 with three runs scored for the Norse, who rallied from a 5-3 deficit in the fourth inning. Samantha Easterley’s two-run homer to left gave SIUE a 5-3 advantage in the top of the fourth, but NKU responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning to tie the game at 5-5.
In the opener, SIUE pitcher Ashlea Hoheimer retired the final 20 NKU hitters en route to a 3-0 win over the Norse. Hoheimer allowed a hit and a walk in the first inning, but NKU was unable to generate another baserunner the remainder of the game.
Hoheimer finished with five strikeouts and outdueled NKU’s Krystal Lewallen, who lost for just the second time in 24 decisions this season. Lewallen allowed three runs in seven innings Saturday with nine strikeouts, and she is now 22-2 this spring.
Jenny Esker hit a solo homer for SIUE, which scored two runs in the top of the fifth inning to seal the victory. Rothbauer’s first-inning single was NKU’s only hit of the game.
NKU play host to the University of Missouri-St. Louis at noon Sunday. The Norse are ranked No. 1 in the latest NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region poll.
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Stephanie Leimbach |