RICHMOND, Ky. – On a sunny, yet breezy afternoon, a Maddi Rutan performance for the ages propelled the EKU softball team to a 12-2 rout of in-state foe Northern Kentucky on Wednesday at Gertrude Hood Field.
 
With the win, EKU (24-4, 6-0 ASUN) has now won 15 consecutive games in a row and at home.  The win streak is the second longest in program history.
 
Rutan, a two-way player out of Columbus, Indiana, had one of the top performances of her young career tossing a hitless 5.1 innings of work with seven strikeouts.  Offensively, she had two home runs with six RBIs, including a grand slam in the bottom of the sixth inning to invoke the 8-run run rule.
 
This season, Rutan is 13-2 in the circle with a 1.19 ERA and 78 strikeouts.  Her 78 strikeouts are the most by an EKU student-athlete since current pitching coach Mollie Paulick had 85 in 2021.
 
Besides Rutan, Jeanay Riley went 3-for-4 with a triple and one RBI, Jasmine Miller went 1-for-2 with a 2-run homer to dead center, and Jaelin Haynes went 1-for-3 extending her hit streak to seven games.
 
EKU outhit Northern Kentucky nine to four, all four Norse hits came in the top of the first against starter Brooke Davis.
 
Northern Kentucky opened Wednesday's midweek tilt with four singles and two runs, resulting in an early 2-0 lead and forcing the Colonels to switch pitchers.
 
EKU tallied one in the bottom of the second as first baseman Madison Scott sent a triple down the left line, scoring Lilly Davis.
 
Innings three through five were all EKU, totaling three four runs from two homers and four additional hits.  The Colonels forced NKI into two three up, three down innings and one inning where Rutan struck out the side.
 
EKU came to the plate in the bottom of the sixth up 5-2.  Freshman Kennedy Drafton walked in a run with the bases loaded for a 6-2 lead, followed by a Riley single and Vianna Barron walk that plated two more runs and a 8-2 lead.
 
Rutan, who homered once already, sent a grand slam over the center field fence to end the game in run rule fashion, 12-2.  Her grand slam marked 6 RBIs on the day, the most of her career and the most an EKU player has totaled all season.
 
Next Up
EKU returns to action over the weekend hosting North Alabama for a three game Atlantic Sun Conference series on Friday and Saturday back at Gertrude Hood Field.  Fans can purchase tickets online at EKUSports.com or for just $5 at the ballpark.