Matt Jefferson struck out seven batters in a complete-game performance to lead the Northern Kentucky University baseball team to its first NCAA Division I series sweep with a 4-2 victory over Xavier University on Sunday at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex.
Jefferson (1-4) allowed just two runs on nine hits, and he walked just two batters for NKU, which improved to 9-14 overall. Brad Bohlen paced the Norse offense, going 2-for-3 from the plate with one double, while seven other players recorded one hit.
NKU took advantage of a pair of Xavier errors in the first to plate two runs for the early lead. Cole Bauml doubled to lead off the inning, and Kyle Colletta followed with a single up the middle. Colletta reached second as shortstop Andre Jernigan bobbled the ball on a stolen base attempt.
A Logan Spurlin ground out brought Bauml home for the first run of the game, and Colletta scored on the second Xavier miscue of the inning, which saw David Head reach base, and the Norse held a 2-0 advantage at the end of the inning.
NKU’s Matt Jefferson struck out seven Sunday and pitched the Norse to their first three-game sweep of a Division I opponent (NKU Athletics Photo)NKU softball swept by Lipscomb in conference doubleheader
Dani Devlin had three hits, including a solo home run, for the Northern Kentucky University softball team as the Norse were swept by Lipscomb in an Atlantic Sun Conference doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at the Frank Ignatius Grein Softball Field.
The Lady Bisons won Game 1, 6-0, and completed the sweep with a 25-7 win in the nightcap. With the losses, NKU fell to 4-19 overall and 1-5 in A-Sun play.
Game 1
Devlin and Paige McQueen managed hits against Lipscomb’s Tanner Sanders, who put together a complete-game, 12-strikeout performance in a 6-0 Lady Bisons victory.
Lipscomb’s Caitlin Plocheck hit a single up the middle in the top of the second inning to drive home Gracey Aguirre, who reached on an infield single, to score the first run of the game.
Lipscomb strung together six hits in the fourth inning to lead to three Lady Bisons runs. Braylee Williams began the inning with a single through the left side. After an Aguirre sacrifice, Abby Fenichel hit a single through the right side to move Williams to third. Kelley Young followed with a single through the left side leading to Williams scoring for the Lady Bison.
Plocheck added to her day with a double to right center to score Fenichel. Young then scored on an illegal pitch to make it a 4-0 Lipscomb lead. The Lady Bisons added two more runs on back-to-back RBI singles from Young and Plocheck to reach the final score.
Alyssa Enrique (0-5) took the loss for the Norse in the start, while Ashlynn Roberts picked up three strikeouts in 3.2 innings of relief work.
Game 2
Plochek went 5-for-5 with a pair of home runs and eight RBIs to lead Lipscomb to a 25-7 win in the nightcap. Eight of the nine Lipscomb starters had multi-hit games as the Lady Bisons pounded out 25 hits in the contest.
The Norse got two-hit games from Devlin, Kate Bartolovich, McQueen and Nicolette Hayes in the loss, as NKU strung together 11 hits as well.
NKU got the scoring started early in the nightcap with a solo home run from Devlin, her seventh of the season, to put the Norse ahead in the first inning. Lipscomb answered with seven runs in the top of the second inning, punctuated by home runs from Brianne Welch and Brittany Elmore.
McQueen, Roberts and Nicolette Hayes hit consecutive doubles to lead off the second inning for the Norse, plating a pair of runs to cut the Lipscomb advantage to 7-3.
Both teams scored four runs each during the third inning. Plocheck hit a two-run homer to left, and Neely and Williams both provided hits that score two more runs. In the bottom of the frame, Hayes picked up an RBI single before Allie Conner added a two-run double off the wall in left. Devlin added an RBI single as well.
The Lady Bisons pulled away late with seven runs each in the fourth and fifth innings to reach the final score.
McCarley Thomas picked up her first win of the season for the Lady Bisons, pitching 1.2 innings of relief. Sanders slammed the door late, picking up five more strikeouts over 2.1 innings to close out the game.
Alex Caudill suffered the loss for the Norse, dropping to 2-6 on the season.
The Norse will close out their five-game home stand on Wednesday with a doubleheader against Austin Peay. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
From NKU Athletics