Northern Kentucky University Norse softball opened its home season on March 10 with a doubleheader sweep over Valparaiso at Frank Ignatius Grein Field in Highland Heights, Kentucky. The Norse secured a 6-0 shutout victory in the first game and followed up with a close 3-2 win to complete the sweep.
The results mark a strong start for Northern Kentucky at home, improving their record to 11-8 while Valparaiso dropped to 9-12. The opening game saw freshman pitcher Makaree Chapman deliver a standout performance, pitching a complete game shutout and allowing only one hit and one walk while striking out four batters. Offensively, Kenzie Gulley led the team by going three-for-three at the plate, contributing two runs batted in and scoring twice herself.
In the second game, Northern Kentucky again took an early lead with two runs in the first inning. Valparaiso responded with a two-run homer in the fifth to tie the score. Lexy Morris then drove in Peyton Mueller-Stenz with an RBI single in the sixth inning to reclaim the lead for NKU. Chapman closed out the seventh inning without allowing any baserunners, securing the win for her team.
Mueller-Stenz was key offensively in game two as well, finishing two-for-three with an RBI and two runs scored. Morris also went two-for-three and delivered what proved to be the game-winning RBI. Brielle DiMemmo and Jena Rhoads contributed hits for NKU across both games.
Looking ahead, Northern Kentucky will host the NKU Invitational from Friday through Sunday, welcoming Northwestern, Northern Iowa, and Detroit Mercy for further competition.
