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By Mike Anderson, NKU Sports Information Game 1 box score | Game 2 box score ROLLA, Mo. – Chelsie Roy did a little bit of everything for the Northern Kentucky University softball team on Saturday, pitching 10 2/3 innings of shutout softball and driving in a game-winning run as the Norse took a pair of Great Lakes Valley Conference wins from Missouri S&T. The Norse took Game 1 in nine innings by an 8-7 score while Game 2 went down as a 3-0 NKU victory. The Lady Miners (14-21, 6-10 GLVC) had the offense working in Game 1, outscoring the Norse 7-3 through six innings before NKU exploded in the top of the seventh inning, starting with a lead off home run by Jessica Farris to cap off a 3-for-5 performance and cut the deficit to three runs. Amanda Smith followed up with an infield single and gave way to pinch runner Caroline Snyder, who scored on a Shatona Campbell triple two batters later. Sam Del Vecchio grounded a ball to second base that allowed Campbell to cross the plate to make it a one-run affair for Ashley Gates, who sent a 2-2 pitch over the right-field wall to knot the game at 7-all. Roy, who entered the game in the sixth inning to relieve starter April Ehlers, kept the Norse in the game with a pair of strikeouts in the bottom of the seventh and three ground-ball outs in the eighth. The top of the ninth started off with Campbell getting dotted on a 3-2 pitch to represent the go-ahead run. Del Vecchio sacrificed her teammate into scoring position for Gates, who flied out to center field for the second out of the inning, giving way to Roy. The sophomore, after watching strike three go by to end the seventh inning, went up swinging, fouling off the first pitch before sending a blooper into center field to plate Campbell and give the Norse the lead. It was just the second hit and first RBI of Roy's collegiate career. Roy returned to the circle in the bottom of the ninth and surrendered a base hit, but the NKU defense was sound, turning a double play to close things out. Ehlers picked up nine strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings of work while Smith and Gates each claimed two-hit games. Roy (9-6) returned to start the nightcap and pitched out of jam after jam, scattering 13 hits in the contest without allowing one across the plate to mark her third shutout of the season. The NKU runs all came in the fifth inning, starting with Gates’ second home run of the day, a two-run shot over the left-field fence. Ehlers came up next and laced a triple to right center, scoring two batters later on a passed ball. Gates put up another 2-for-3 performance in Game 2 as the Norse improved to 18-16 overall and 8-6 in GLVC play. The Norse have won five of their last six games and are now knotted in a three-way tie for fifth place in the conference as they fight to return to the GLVC Tournament for the first time since 2006. NKU concludes the Easter-weekend road trip tomorrow when the Norse make up Friday’s wash-out at Missouri-St. Louis. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. Eastern. |
