Caleb Lonkard was perfect from the plate, drove in two runs and scored twice as the Northern Kentucky University baseball team suffered a 12-7 setback against Kennesaw State University in Atlantic Sun Conference action at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex on Sunday.
Lonkard was one of three NKU players to record three hits on the day, going 3-for-3 with one walk, while Cole Bauml finished 3-for-5 with his nation-leading 24th double of the season, two runs scored and one RBI. Trey Ganns went 3-for-4 with a double and drove in two runs for the Norse. NKU recorded 13 hits and left nine base runners stranded.
Nick Beard (0-2) took the loss on the mound for NKU, surrendering two runs on two hits without retiring a batter. Starter Matt Jefferson gave up six runs on 10 hits in seven innings of work for the Norse, while Aric Harris pitched 1.1 perfect innings of relief for the Norse.
NKU, which fell to 10-21 overall and 0-6 in the Atlantic Sun, opened the game’s scoring in the bottom of the third inning. Lonkard recorded a lead-off double to right-center field, and Quint Heady sent him to third with a fly out. Bauml followed with a double to bring Lonkard home.
David Head then reached base as third baseman Jeremy Howell’s throw to first sailed by Colin Bennett, and a single down the left-field line by Cody Kuzniczci loaded the bases. Ganns drew a walk, which allowed Bauml to score for a 2-0 Norse advantage.
Kennesaw State responded with three runs in the top of the fourth to push ahead. A Howell single through the left side scored Chris McGowan, who led off the frame with a single of his own. Drew Davis sent a two-out, two-run home run over the left-field wall to give the Owls a 3-2 lead.
The Owls extended their advantage to 6-2 in the fifth, plating three runs on three hits, before the Norse offense put additional runs on the board in the bottom of the sixth. Ganns hit a lead-off single up the middle, and Brad Bohlen followed with a single to short left field.
NKU concludes its five-game homestand on Wednesday as the Norse welcome Maryville (Tenn.) College at 3 p.m. Links to live stats and John Asalon’s audio broadcast are available at NKUNorse.com. Fans can track the game’s progress by following @NKUNorseGameDay on Twitter as well.
Northern Kentucky softball falls short against Kennesaw State
Sydney Ferrante and Paige McQueen each posted two-hit games as the Northern Kentucky University softball team fell to Kennesaw State, 14-3, to conclude the three-game Atlantic Sun Conference series between the teams on Sunday afternoon.
Three Kennesaw State batters posted three-hit games, including Megan Veringa and Rachel Dennis, who each had a double and a home run. Veringa drove in five runs while Dennis collected four RBIs. Kara Chambers also posted three hits, scored four runs and stole two bases as the Owls improved to 28-14 overall and 9-5 in A-Sun play.
Katelyn Roy and Ashlynn Roberts added RBIs for the Norse, who dropped to 5-26 overall and 1-11 in conference action.
The Owls rallied for three runs in the opening frame to take the early advantage. Natalie Rhodes opened the game with a five-pitch walk, stole second and reached third on a sacrifice bunt before Chambers brought home the game’s first run on an infield single. Veringa followed with an RBI single. An error and a Dennis single loaded the bases for Emily Bishop, who was hit by a pitch to score Veringa and make it a 3-0 game.
Veringa added two more runs in the second inning with a line shot over the wall in straightaway centerfield, scoring Chambers, whose two-out single started the scoring rally. A Dennis home run keyed a five-run third for the Owls as well. Missy Perkowski’s two-out double set up an RBI-triple by Rhodes followed by an infield single from Denton to score Rhodes, then Veringa struck again with a two-run double, extending the KSU lead to 10-0.
The Norse got on the board in the bottom of the third inning. KC Straley got things started with a leadoff walk, followed by a Sydney Ferrante single to center that moved Straley to third. Paige McQueen blooped a single over the head of the Owls’ third baseman. Chambers recovered the ball and caught Straley in a rundown to the plate, but an errant throw allowed Straley to score and the runners to move up to second and third on the play. Katelyn Roy followed with a sacrifice fly to score Ferrante and Ashlynn Roberts hit a two-out single up the middle to bring in McQueen, cutting the KSU advantage to 10-3.
A three-run double by Dennis followed by an RBI-single for Bishop pushed four runs across for the Owls in the fifth inning to reach the final score.
Paige Matthews (11-4) struck out seven batters and allowed just one earned run in the complete-game victory for the Owls. The loss fell to Ashlynn Roberts (3-10), who pitched 2.2 innings in the start.
NKU begins a stretch of 12-games away from home over a 12-day span on Tuesday when the Norse head to Indianapolis, Indiana, to take on IUPUI for a doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
From NKU Athletics