After a 5-5 trip to the Rebel Spring Games in Kissimmee, Fla., the Eagles played a pair of in-state doubleheaders last week, earning a split at Urbana, and sweeping Walsh. Ashland then traveled to play Northern Kentucky but NKU swept the Eagles Tuesday.

Urbana Game 1

Junior pitcher Emlyn Knerem (6-1) continued her pitching dominance surrendering just one hit and a pair of walks, in the Eagles 9-0 win over Urbana. Knerem struck out ten in five innings of work. Freshman Carly Clark finished the combined shutout, throwing a perfect sixth inning.

Senior Logan Hursey got the scoring started in the top of the fourth inning, sending a two-run shot over the center field fence. Hursey added a sixth inning double to finish 2-for-3 with three RBI. Sophomore Tawna Garver added two more runs in the fourth stanza with a pinch-hit single to center.

The Eagles would score five more times in the sixth inning to cap off the 9-0 victory. Alyssa Kelley, Cayla Seidler, and Lyndsey Brandt all finished 2-for-3 in the first game.

The victory gave head coach Sheilah Gulas her 500th win as the AU skipper. “I can’t believe I’ve been here that long,” Gulas said of the milestone victory. “Credit goes to the athletes and the support we have received from the university.”

Game 2

The nightcap was a much closer contest than the one that preceded it. The Blue Knights (5-8) plated a run in each of the first two innings, while Urbana pitcher Haley Jo Kolmerten silenced the Eagles (6-6) offense through the first six innings.

With their backs to the wall in the top of the seventh, the Eagles constructed a comeback to tie the contest. Hursey singled in the Eagles’ first run, knocking in pinch-runner Kaely Stucin. Stucin ran for Kelley, who opened the seventh with a double. After freshman Kourtney Yarnall moved Hursey to second on a groundball, Seidler put one in the left field grass to score the tying run.

Urbana came right back with the winning run in the bottom of the seventh. Hursey (0-5) was tagged with the loss in game two. The southpaw threw 3.1 innings, giving up three hits, four walks, and just the one run.

Walsh Game 1

Sophomore first baseman Franki Gironda put a one out double into the right center field alley in the bottom of the sixth inning to put the Eagles ahead for good in their 6-3 win over Walsh in game one of Saturday (Mar. 19) afternoon’s doubleheader.

AU opened the scoring in the second inning when Seidler and Hursey executed a double steal. Later in the inning, Miller reached on an RBI walk to put the Eagles up 2-0.

In the third inning Seidler made it a 3-0 lead when she grounded out to the third baseman that scored Hursey.

Two sixth inning insurance runs came off a Miller sacrifice fly, and a two out RBI triple off the bat of Bri Woody.

Hursey had the only multi-hit game for the Eagles finishing 2-for-3.

Knerem (7-1) retired the Cavaliers in order in the seventh inning. The junior finished with 13 strikeouts while allowing a season high three runs on six hits and a free pass.

Game 2

Entering Saturday, it had been game two where the Eagles had struggled to capture wins. After an offseason shoulder surgery, Hursey (1-5) had struggled to find consistency in the circle. Saturday may have been the turning of the tide for the left-handed senior who threw a one-hit shutout in the Eagles 8-0 game two victory.

“It felt good to get the first one,” Hursey said. “Everything was working well, I was comfortable, and the defense was good.”

Possibly the most encouraging stat for the Eagles (8-6) going forward was that Hursey issued just one free pass (entered Saturday averaging 1.26 walks/inning) in the contest.

Hursey also had an impressive game at the plate, extending her hitting streak to ten games going 2-for-3 with a double and RBI.

Half of the run production in game two came from one swing of the bat, as Kelley (3-for-4) ended the game by run-rule in the bottom of the fifth with her first career grand slam. Kelley’s five RBIs in game two was a career high for the junior third baseman.

“The team is finally settling in,” Kelley said of the sweep. “When one person gets a hit, we all catch fire.”

Eight different players combined for the Eagles season-high 12 hits.

Miller finished 2-for 3 in game two with two runs, and a double that two-hopped the left-center fence.

Walsh (5-8) second baseman Eryn Simon had the Cavaliers’ only hit when her third inning groundball found its way up the middle.

NKU Game 1

Despite tagging Knerem for only one run a year ago in the Midwest Regional, the Northern Kentucky University Norse crossed the plate four times against the AU right hander in Tuesday’s (Mar. 22) first game of a doubleheader that saw the Eagles fall by a count of 4-1.

The Eagles only run came in the top of the third off a Miller single down the left field to tie the game at one.

Machen scored on the play after leading the inning off with a double into the right center field gap.

The Norse answered right back to make it 2-1 in the bottom of the third with a Katie Sullivan homerun.

Two more runs scored in the bottom half of the fourth to cap off the 4-1 victory.

In the loss Knerem (7-2) gave up seven hits and two walks, while striking out 10.

For the Norse, Emily Schwaeble (2-3) was able to avoid the big inning, only giving up the one run despite giving up five hits and three walks.

Game 2

NKU right fielder Ashley Gates singled to left field to end a back and forth nine inning affair in game two.

The Norse (16-8) put a crooked number on the scoreboard early, plating two first inning runs.

AU’s (8-8) Seidler came up with a two out RBI on a single through the left side to bring the Eagles to within a run.

Carrying the momentum from the fifth, the Eagles took the lead for the first time in the doubleheader putting up two runs in the sixth.

After a Garver single, Gironda lined out to the shortstop, but in an attempt to double up the pinch-runner Stucin, Norse shortstop Jessica Farris threw the ball away to put a runner on second with two outs. Miller came through with a two out RBI to even the score, followed by an RBI double by Woody then to put the Eagles up 3-2.

The Norse only needed one hit to even up the score in the seventh, as a pair of walks, and two wild pitches pushed NKU’s third run across.

In an event unique to softball, the international tiebreaker puts a runner on second to begin each extra inning. In the Eagles half of the eighth, their “free runner” was thrown out at third on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Garver.

The Norse couldn’t take advantage either, lining out into a double play to end the eighth.

AU took advantage of the international tiebreak in the top of the ninth when Hursey knocked in the go-ahead run with an RBI groundout, but it wasn’t enough as the Norse scored twice in the bottom half to end the game in walk-off fashion.

The Eagles will host a trio of GLIAC doubleheaders this weekend as they take on Hillsdale (Friday, 3:30 p.m.), Grand Valley State (Saturday, noon), and Ferris State (Sunday, noon).