HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – It took a total of 59 runs to determine the first three outcomes of the Morehead State-Northern Kentucky softball games this year. On Wednesday, at the Frank Ignatius Grein Softball Field in Highland Heights, Ky., just four were needed. Unfortunately for the Eagles, all four runs were for the home standing Norse (4-0).
NKU got three of those runs in the third inning and then added the other score in the fifth. Northern Kentucky (8-13) benefitted from three hits in the third inning, including a triple by Jena Rhoads that scored a run, as well as a sacrifice fly.
In the fifth, a walk, a double and a fielder's choice led to the final run.
"We committed no errors and our pitchers only gave up five hits, which might be the fewest we've allowed all season, but we left too many runners on base and couldn't get the timely hits when we needed them," MSU head coach
Megan Griffith said. "We're close, we've just got to put it all together at the same time. It'll come."
Morehead State (1-22/0-3) played well but could not convert its hits into run when the opportunities arose. It was the fifth time this year, the team played error-free softball.
The Eagles had a pair of singles and loaded the bases with one out in the second but could not drive a run home. They had two more base runners in scoring position in the fourth but again could not get anyone across home plate. They also stranded two runners on in the fifth and seventh, for a total of nine left on base throughout the afternoon.
Morehead State did collect six hits, the 14th time this season it reached that mark. It was the third time this spring it out-hit its opponent and did not win. Sophomore left fielder
Maddy Christopher led the Blue and Gold with two hits. Freshman right fielder
Sophie Collins, sophomore third baseman
Kendra Lewis, senior center fielder
Darlene Montoya and sophomore shortstop
Sela Pickford also had hits.
Junior
Emma Solis (1-9) pitched 2.1 innings, before yielding to junior
Taikibrea Campbell. Junior
Rylie Burney finished the afternoon by throwing the final two innings. Solis gave up three hits and two runs. She struck out two and did not walk a batter. Campbell pitched 1.2 innings and allowed two runs on two hits. She struck out one and walked three. Burney did not allow a hit or a run. She walked one batter and struck out the final three batters in the sixth.
Rhoads led her team at the plate with a 2-for-3 performance. She also scored once and drove in a run. Olivia Pastin had a team-best two RBI, while Campbell Beatty scored twice.
Kyndall Ford (1-3) earned the win. She pitched 4.2 shutout innings, allowing four hits and two walks, while striking out four. Brooklyn Ballis threw the final 2.1 innings. She gave up two hits and struck out two.
MSU dropped its 14th consecutive outing, one shy of the 15 it had to start the 2022 campaign. Conversely, NKU snapped a six-game skid and a two-game home slide. MSU is 1-7 in road contests this year, while the Norse are 1-1 at home.
The result marked the second time in the 20 years' worth of meetings between the two, that MSU finished the season series winless. It also marks the first time the Eagles dropped all four outings with an opponent in the same season since SIU Edwardsville in 2023.
MSU leads the NKU series 28-17-1 but now trails 7-6 in games at Northern Kentucky.
Morehead State's weekend road series with Eastern Illinois has been moved to Sunday-Monday. Times have yet to be determined. The Eagles' next home date is Saturday, Mar. 22, when they will entertain Southern Indiana for the first two of three games that weekend.
