Ashlynn Roberts’ first career shutout helped the Northern Kentucky University softball team to a 5-0 victory over Austin Peay, salvaging a split in Wednesday’s non-conference doubleheader.
The freshman scattered three hits and struck out a season-high five batters, improving her record to 3-7 on the year, while the Norse (5-20) offense fired on all cylinders in the Game 2 victory. All nine Norse starters recorded at least one hit with Kate Bartolovich going 2-for-3 in the contest.
After a bumpy first inning, Roberts set down the next 12 batters she faced through the fifth inning, the only base runner coming on a Chandler Groves single in the third which was erased on an inning-ending double play.
NKU got on the board in the third after Nicolette Hayes led off the frame with a double and sacrifices by Allie Conner and KC Straley brought her in. Sydney Ferrante followed in the bottom of the fourth with a solo home run to left field, her second of the year, to put the Norse up, 2-0. Katelyn Roy was then walked and scored on a Paige McQueen double.
The Norse continued its offensive surge with a lead-off, first-pitch home run by Allie Conner, her first on the season. Straley followed with a triple and scored on an RBI single by Dani Devlin.
Groves went 2-for-3 to lead the Lady Govs’ offense, while Niya Sparks accounted for the third and final hit for Austin Peay. Lady Govs starter Natalie Ayala (3-7) took the loss, surrendering four runs on six hits with two walks and a strikeout in four innings of work.
The win took some of the sting out of a 7-6 loss in the day’s opener. Roy went 3-for-4 in the contest and Straley added a triple and drove in a pair of runs, but a four-run seventh inning proved to be the difference for the Lady Govs in the contest.
Austin Peay (7-20) took an early lead in the opener on a two-run home run by Sparks, which also scored Laurel Burroughs, who singled up the middle.
NKU used a four-run second inning to gain the lead. Roy hit a lead-off double to left field, and Bartolovich was hit by a pitch. Roberts followed with the second double of the frame, bringing Roy home to cut the Norse deficit to 2-1. An RBI ground out by Hayes scored Bartolovich and sent Roberts to third.
Groves led the way for Austin Peay, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and one run, while Burroughs, Mel Pavel and Inagaki each went 2-for-4. Burroughs drove in two runs and scored twice. Sidney Hooper (2-5) gave up six runs on 13 hits, and she struck out five batters and did not walk one over 6.1 innings in the circle.
NKU heads back to the sunshine state for a three-game Atlantic Sun Conference series against North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Friday starting at 3 p.m. before an 11 a.m. start time on Saturday to wrap up the series. Friday’s doubleheader will be featured on ASun.TV, and links to live stats are available at NKUNorse.com.
NKU baseball opens A-Sun play at North Florida
The Northern Kentucky University baseball team opens the Atlantic Sun Conference portion of its 2015 schedule with a three-game series at North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida.
First pitch from the Dusty Rhodes Field at Harmon Stadium on Thursday and Friday is set for 6 p.m. Saturday’s series finale has been moved up to 11:30 a.m. to accommodate NKU’s travel schedule.
Links to live stats and John Asalon’s audio broadcast are available at NKUNorse.com, and Thursday’s contest will be available for viewing on ASun.TV. Fans can look for updates as each game progresses by following @NKUNorseGameDay on Twitter.
NKU fell to 9-15 overall on Tuesday night as the Norse dropped a 15-4 decision to Eastern Kentucky in Richmond, Kentucky. The Colonels jumped out to an early 11-0 lead after the first two innings, and the Norse were unable to overcome the deficit.
Logan Spurlin paced the Norse offense, going 2-for-4 from the plate with the lone NKU double of the night, and he drove in a pair of runs. Cole Bauml and Kyle Colletta recorded the other two RBIs as Colletta, Cody Kuzniczci, Conor Ledger and Caleb Lonkard each scored for the Norse.
UP NEXT: NKU returns to the Bill Aker Baseball Complex for a four-game homestand next week. The Norse welcome Eastern Kentucky to Highland Heights at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, looking to avenge Tuesday’s 15-4 loss in Richmond. NKU then hosts reigning Atlantic Sun champion Kennesaw State for a three-game conference series.
Weber earns A-Sun track Athlete of Week honors
Northern Kentucky University track and field athlete J.J. Webber earned Atlantic Sun Conference Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week honors.
Webber took first place in the 5,000-meter at the Oliver Nikoloff Invitational on Saturday with a program-record time of 14:14.39. The junior finished 30 seconds ahead of the second-place runner in the race. The time currently ranks 14th in NCAA Division I and first on the A-Sun performance list.
This is Webber’s third career A-Sun Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week honor. He is the second NKU athlete to earn A-Sun Outdoor Athlete of the Week accolades this season with thrower Danny Keller earning the honor on March 18.
The Norse return to action on Saturday at the Miami (Ohio) Invitational.
From NKU Athletics