The red-hot Eastern Kentucky University softball team crushed host Northern Kentucky, 13-4, on Tuesday afternoon at Frank Ignatius Grein Field.
The Colonels (19-23) have now won four straight games and have outscored their opponents 50-7 over the last 27 innings of play.
After two scoreless frames, EKU got on the board in the top of the third. Sophomore Rachel Minogue – the OVC’s leading hitter with a .426 batting average – started the rally by lacing a two-out RBI single through the right side of the infield, scoring senior Kelly Wood. Junior Johnkyria Alston followed that up by driving a two-run base hit into center field, plating Minogue and senior Krislyn Campos. Sophomore Hannah Clark capped the inning with an RBI double into the gap in left center to make it 4-0.
NKU (12-29) responded with two runs in the home half of the third to cut EKU’s lead in half; however, the Colonel offense did not let up. Freshman pitcher Mollie Paulick opened the inning with a double to right, went to third on a sacrifice bunt by senior Amber Murray and then scored on a sacrifice fly to center from Wood. Campos followed that up with a solo home run to left, making it 6-2.
Eastern continued to pour it on from there. Paulick ripped an RBI double to right center in the fifth, scoring Alston. The Colonels then pushed across six runs in the top of the sixth to put the game out of reach.
Wood, Campos and junior Paige Murphy opened the frame with three consecutive singles to load the bases for Minogue, who delivered with a two-run base hit into left center. Alston followed that up with a two-run double to left that plated Murphy and Minogue. The next batter, Clark, singled through the right side to score Alston. Freshman Shelby Atzinger ended the scoring with a sacrifice fly that brought sophomore Brittany Oldaker home and made it 13-2.
The Norse got two runs in the bottom of the sixth, but it was too little, too late.
The two top run producers in the OVC – Alston and Minogue – lived up to their reputation on Tuesday. Alston finished 3-for-4 with four RBI, three runs scored and two doubles, while Minogue went 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. Paulick, meanwhile, finished 3-for-4 on the day with a pair of doubles, an RBI and a run scored.
Paulick (9-8) was just as efficient in the circle, tossing a complete game to earn her ninth win of the season. The native of Centerville, Ohio allowed four runs on only four hits while striking out six batters and walking none.
EKU returns to action this weekend with a pair of OVC doubleheaders at UT Martin and Southeast Missouri.
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Steve Fohl
Associate Director of EKUSports Communications