Stephanie Leimbach

QUINCY, Ill. - No team in Northern Kentucky University athletics history has ever posted a perfect regular-season record.

The NKU softball team, however, can change that Sunday if the Norse can pull out a doubleheader sweep at Missouri-St. Louis.

NKU improved to 44-0 by sweeping a doubleheader at Quincy on Saturday, posting a 4-0 win in the opener and following that with a 5-1 victory in the nightcap. The Norse are now 14-0 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, and the 44 consecutive wins are the most in NCAA Division II history.

They are also approaching a perfect regular-season record, which would be a first in Norse athletics history.

In 2002, the NKU women’s soccer team finished unbeaten (16-0-2) in the regular season, but the two ties prevented the Norse from posting a perfect record. The 1999 NKU volleyball team finished the regular season with a 27-1 record, with an early loss to Grand Valley State keeping the Norse from perfection.

That’s as close as an NKU team has come to a perfect regular season in recent history. Until now.

Krystal Lewallen hurled a three-hit shutout and improved to 23-0 this spring as NKU won the opener Saturday. Lewallen struck out nine batters and walked three for NKU, which scored four runs in the first inning and coasted to the win.

Lewallen now has 14 shutouts this season, and she also became the first pitcher in Norse softball history to reach the 70-win plateau. Lewallen, a junior from Crestwood, Ky., is 70-14 in her career with NKU.

Heather Cotner went 2-for-4 and drove in a run for NKU, while Ricki Rothbauer was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Becky Napier also added two hits for the Norse.

The Norse extended their record-breaking win streak to 44 in the nightcap with a 5-1 victory. Stephanie Leimbach scored three runs in that game to lead the Norse, while Angie Lindeman went 3-for-4 with two runs batted in.

Leimbach, who was 2-for-3 in the second contest, also extended her hitting streak to 24 consecutive games. Rothbauer was 2-for-4 with a run scored in the nightcap, while Napier was 1-for-3 with two RBI.

Emily Breitholle improved to 16-0 this season with the victory. Breitholle also had six strikeouts and scattered four hits in seven innings.

NKU will begin the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament next Friday at East Peoria, Ill. The Norse - who can wrap up the No. 1 seed in the GLVC Tournament with two wins on Sunday - are ranked No. 1 nationally in the Division II poll.