GREEN BAY, Wis. – The home opener for the Green Bay softball team didn't go according to plan, as the Phoenix dropped the first two games of their series against Northern Kentucky. The Norse ran away with game one 7-0, before taking a close 3-0 contest in game two.
 
GAME 1 | NORTHERN KENTUCKY 7, GREEN BAY 0
Northern Kentucky did most of their damage early, with four runs in the top of the second inning. Three of those runs came with a Norse bases-clearing triple. NKU tacked on two more in the sixth and one more in the seventh en route to the 7-0 win.
 
Green Bay struggled to get going offensively, finishing with two hits and going a total of 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
 
Paeton Kringel (1-5) got the ball to start for Green Bay and pitched all seven innings.
 
Offensively, Kendal Herschbach and Paige Hanson each got hits in game one.
 
GAME NOTES
» Kringel limited Northern Kentucky to just 3-for-19 (.158) with runners in scoring position.
» NKU outhit GB 9-2.
» Hailey Heckenlaible put together some good at-bats, drawing two walks in three at-bats.
» Lauryn Hicks led the Norse pitching staff, throwing seven shutout innings.
 
GAME 2 | NORTHERN KENTUCKY 3, GREEN BAY 0
Game two was a pitcher's duel between Green Bay's Ava Schill and Northern Kentucky's Brooklyn Ballis. Each pitcher threw the first four innings scoreless until NKU opened the scoring with three RBI hits to take a 3-0 lead.
 
Green Bay hit better in game two, finishing with six hits. The Phoenix had a tough time coming across hits with runners in scoring position, going 1-for-11 in those situations.
 
Schill's final line from the circle was seven innings pitched, giving up three runs, all of them earned, on eight hits, allowing no walks and striking out eight.
 
At the plate, the Phoenix was led by Samantha Saloun, who went 2-for-2 with two doubles and a walk. Bella Herman put together a noteworthy game at the dish as well, going 2-for-3 with a walk.
 
GAME NOTES
» Saloun's doubles were the lone extra-base hits for GB.
» NKU slightly outhit GB 8-6.
» The Phoenix drew four walks from Northern Kentucky pitching.
 
UP NEXT
Green Bay will close out the three-game series against the Norse tomorrow with a game at noon. Next week they'll also travel to St. Thomas for a nonconference doubleheader on Wednesday starting at 2 p.m.

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