Sarah King drove in three runs in Game 2

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The national record for the longest winning streak in NCAA Division II softball history is now just a doubleheader sweep away from being tied by Northern Kentucky University.

NKU improved to 38-0 by sweeping a doubleheader from Ohio Dominican on Tuesday. The Norse rallied for a 2-1 win in nine innings in the opener, and then completed the sweep with a 12-4 victory in the nightcap.

NKU moved to within two victories of tying the longest winning streak in NCAA Division II history. The longest win streak in NCAA Division II history is 40, which was set in 1995 by Kennesaw State.

The Norse will have a chance at tying the record at 3 p.m. Thursday when Indianapolis visits NKU for a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader.

NKU is just the third team in Division II history to win 38 consecutive games. Coker (S.C.) also won 38 straight games during the 1998 season, and Kennesaw State ran off 40 in a row in 1995.

In the opener Tuesday, Heather Cotner scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning after a throwing error by Ohio Dominican pitcher Jessica Jurkovic. Cotner led off the inning with a walk, and she advanced to second base on a wild pitch.

After Becky Napier laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Cotner to third, Jurkovic fielded the ball and threw wildly to first base. The ball bounced down the right-field line, and Cotner scored all the way from second base as NKU escaped with the one-run victory.

NKU trailed 1-0 going into the bottom of the sixth, but a double by Sarah King plated Angie Lindeman with the tying run. King’s one-out double was a shot into the left-center field gap that drove in Lindeman from first base.

In the second game, Lindeman and King each drove in three runs as NKU coasted to its 38th straight win. Lindeman, who collected two doubles in the opener, also scored three times in the second game.

Ricki Rothbauer went 3-for-4 and scored three runs for the Norse. Stephanie Leimbach went 2-for-4 in the nightcap and extended her hitting streak to 18 consecutive games. Rachele Vogelpohl went 1-for-4 with two RBI.

Emily Breitholle, who went the distance in the opener to notch her 14th win of the season, picked up the save in the nightcap with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. NKU starter Sarah Newland recorded the victory and six strikeouts.

The Norse are ranked No. 2 nationally in the NCAA Division II poll. NKU is also ranked No. 1 in the latest NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region poll.