TAHLEQUAH – The RiverHawks will host the NSU/Cherokee Nation Festival this weekend, with games being played at RiverHawks Park and Tahlequah HS. NSU will play four games, opening against Doane and Kansas Wesleyan on Friday before finishing the weekend against Haskell Indian Nations and Bacone on Saturday.

Opening Pitch
1. NSU went 4-1 at the Edmond Regional Festival last weekend, including a convincing 8-0 win over Colorado Christian and back-to-back one run games against Colorado at Colorado Springs and Chadron State. They will bring an overall record of 6-3 into the tournament.

2. Gail Young was named MIAA Pitcher of the Week on Wednesday after picking up three wins over the weekend. She made three starts, pitching 22 innings and recording nine strikeouts while allowing no earned runs. She recorded nine strikeouts on Saturday against Chadron State, which is a new career high for most in a single game.

3. Young has been the top pitcher for the RiverHawks, entering the weekend with a 4-1 record and a 1.40 ERA. She has 28 strikeouts on the season and has thrown 35 innings. She has five complete games this season and made one relief appearance. At the plate, it's Sierra Crick and Megan Green who are tied for top hitters. Crick enters the weekend with a .333 batting average with five runs batted in while Green is also batting .333, with nine runs batted in and five extra-base hits. Jess Schuler is sitting right at .300, with four runs batted in.

4. The Doane Tigers enter play on a four-game losing streak after losing both games of a doubleheader to McPherson College. They opened the season at the SCS Invitational, where they went 2-4, picking up a 9-6 win over Panhandle State and a 8-4 win over Langston. Mikenzi Wiseman is leading the Tigers, batting .412 this season with two home runs and seven runs batted in. In the circle, it's Station Charters who leads the team, pitching 13.2 innings with a 3.07 ERA and 11 strikeouts.

5. The Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes enter the weekend with a 3-3 record and are on a two-game losing streak after dropping both games of a doubleheader to Fort Hays State on Tuesday. Taylor Spencer leads the Coyotes this season with a batting average of .364. She has one triple and has scored six runs this season. In the circle, Valaree Reyes has thrown five innings, allowing six hits and one earned run. Carmen Angulo has made three starts, pitching 17 innings and allowing 18 hits and eight earned runs while recording eight strikeouts.

6. The Indians enter the weekend with a 0-2 record after dropping a doubleheader to Langston University on Wednesday. In the first game against Langston, the Indians were led by Deja White, who went 2-3 at the plate with one run batted in. Sabrina Branch got the start for the Indians and threw all five innings, allowing one earned run and recording three strikeouts. In game two, the Indians posted five runs in the third to take the lead, but Langston scored three runs in the fourth and two in the fifth to top the Indians.

7. Bacone brings a record of 0-2 into the weekend. They opened the season on Wednesday against Bethel College, where they dropped both games of a doubleheader.  The Warriors were led in game one by Jessica Hobbs, who hit a three-run home run in the first inning to give Bacone the lead. AnnRose Blackstar got the start on the mound, throwing 4.2 innings. Hobbs threw 1.1 innings of relief, allowing one hit and recording one strikeout. In game two, Chasity Balusek recorded the lone extra-base hit for Bacone, who fell behind early, as Bethel scored two in the second before scoring four runs in the fifth.

Up Next: The RiverHawks will travel to Springfield, Mo. to compete in the Drury Invitational.