Quint Heady finished 3-for-4 from the plate, drove in one run and scored once to lead the Northern Kentucky University baseball team to a 5-2 victory over Eastern Kentucky University on Wednesday in non-conference action at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex.
Heady was one of two NKU players to record a multi-hit day, as Cody Kuzniczci went 2-for-4 with one double. Cole Bauml made his one hit count, sending a two-run shot over the left-centerfield wall for his team-leading seventh home run of the season, and he scored twice for the Norse, who finished with seven hits and left nine base runners stranded.
Jake Shaw (1-3) allowed just two runs on nine hits in eight-plus innings of work for his first victory of the season for the Norse. He recorded two strikeouts and walked four. Kevin Herren pitched one inning of relief with one hit and one strikeout for his first save of the year.
Eastern Kentucky (10-18) struck first in the top of the second inning. Ben Fischer, who singled to lead off the inning, scored on a sacrifice fly from Logan Starnes for a 1-0 lead. The Colonels then extended their advantage in the third to 2-0 on their second sacrifice fly of the game, which allowed TJ Alas, who drew a lead-off walk, to score.
NKU (10-18) tied the game in the bottom half of the inning with a two-run home run from Bauml. Caleb Lonkard led off the frame with a walk, sending Bauml to the plate. Bauml sent the first pitch of the at-bat over the left-center field wall to tie the game at 2-all.
Heady followed with a single through the right side, and Kyle Colletta drew a five-pitch walk, but the inning ended before the Norse offense could do any additional damage.
Bauml scored again in the fifth to break the tie after drawing a walk and advancing to second. Bauml almost got caught in pickle as he started towards second, but shortstop Kenny Hostrander threw the ball over Mandy Alvarez at third.
Bauml made the second error of the inning by Hostrander hurt when he came home to give NKU a 3-2 lead as Quint Heady reached on the throwing miscue, and Heady advanced to second on the play. A Colletta fly out sent Heady to third, and he scored on a Logan Spurlin ground out for a 4-2 advantage.
The Norse extended their lead to three (5-2) in the sixth. Brad Bohlen led off the inning by reaching base when centerfielder Kyle Nowlin could not hold on to a fly ball, and went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Lonkard. After Bohlen advanced to third on a wild pitch, Heady sent a one-out single up the middle to bring Bohlen home.
Nowlin went 2-for-5 for Eastern Kentucky, which stranded 10 base runners and had nine different players record each of the team’s other nine hits. Fischer’s 1-for-2 effort with one RBI and one run scored.
Colonels starter Matt Lynch allowed two runs on four hits in three innings of work. He struck out two batters and walked three. Relief pitcher Samuel Williams (0-1) took the loss after surrendering two unearned runs with one walked batter in 0.1 inning.
NKU stays at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex this weekend for a three-game series against Atlantic Sun Conference foe Kennesaw State. First pitch for Friday’s opener is set for 3 p.m. Saturday, which will feature the annual Strike Out Cancer event, begins at 1 p.m., and Sunday’s Bark in the Park is slated for a noon start.
Live stat links are available at nku.statbroadcast.com, and each contest will be shown on ASun.TV.
From NKU Athletics