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Northern Kentucky (14-8, 8-4 GLVC): 4, 8
at Southern Indiana (16-8, 9-3 GLVC): 1, 3
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Game 1 |
Game 2
EVANSVILLE, Ind.—The University of Southern Indiana softball team dropped both games of a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader to visiting Northern Kentucky University Sunday at the USI Softball Field. The Screaming Eagles lost game one, 4-1, and game two, 8-3.
In game one, the Eagles (16-8, 9-3 GLVC) fell behind, 1-0, when Northern Kentucky sophomore first baseman Natalie Papi lifted a ball over the rightfield fence in the top of the second inning.
USI surrendered a pair of runs in the fifth inning and trailed 3-0 when sophomore leftfielder
Kyla Gogel hit her first career collegiate home run in the home half of the fifth inning to cut the Eagles' deficit to two runs.
Northern Kentucky (14-8, 8-4 GLVC), however, answered with a solo home run off the bat of freshman centerfielder Kaylin Steinmetz in the seventh inning and held on for the 4-1 victory in the first game.
Freshman pitcher
Brooke Harmening was charged with the loss in the opener after giving up four runs off six hits in seven innings of work. Harmening (8-6) struck out five batters and allowed two walks.
USI struggled offensively against Northern Kentucky junior pitcher Emily Schwaeble, who allowed just three hits and struck out five batters to earn her 11th win of the year.
After giving up three runs in the top half of the first inning of game two, the Eagles faced an uphill challenge offensively as Schwaeble once again got the call in the second contest.
The Eagles, however, used a two-run double off the bat of Harmening and a run-scoring double by Gogel in the last half of the fourth frame to plate three runs, tie the contest, and knock Schwaeble from the pitcher's circle.
Northern Kentucky, however, got a two-out, run-scoring double from Steinmetz in the sixth inning to take a 4-3 advantage; then exploded for four runs in the seventh inning to extend its lead to 8-3.
Sophomore pitcher
Madeline Brink took the loss for the Eagles after giving up five runs off 10 hits in six-plus innings of action. Brink falls to 4-2 with the decision.
USI returns to action Wednesday at 4 p.m. when it hosts Brescia University at the USI Softball Field. The Eagles return to GLVC play Saturday when they visit Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois, for a noon doubleheader.
