A 5-3 victory over USC Upstate in Sunday’s series finale provided Northern Kentucky with the program’s first Atlantic Sun Conference sweep as a Division I program.
The Norse moved to 16-24 overall and 4-8 in Atlantic Sun action thanks to a masterful pitching effort from Matt Jefferson. Jefferson (3-5) allowed three runs, only two of which were earned, on nine hits. He went the distance, fanning five batters and walking none.
Three Spartan hits and one Norse miscue spotted USC Upstate (14-31, 4-11 A-Sun) an early 2-0 lead for the second game in a row. Keeping true to the script from Saturday, Northern Kentucky answered.
Consecutive walks by Logan Spurlin and Kyle Colletta opened the second frame. After Caleb Lonkard successfully laid down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners, Spurlin came home on Anthony Vagnier’s groundout to short.
NKU evened the score at two with a run in the fourth. Spurlin doubled down the left-field line, advance to second on Colletta’s groundout and came home on Lonkard’s RBI groundout.
A three-run fifth pushed the Norse ahead, 5-2.
Singles from Spurlin, Lonkard and Vagnier plated the first run. A wild pitch allowed Lonkard to move up to third and then score on a throwing error from the catcher. The final run of the frame came courtesy of a Quint Heady single to centerfield.
After surrendering the two runs on three hits in the first stanza, Jefferson settled in and scattered three hits between the second and sixth innings.
USC Upstate finally got to Jefferson for one run in the seventh, shrinking the Norse lead to two, 5-3. A pair of doubles from Jake Beaver and Daniel Fickas plated the two runs. J.J. Schimko, who was hit by a pitch to reach base, tried to score from first on Fickas’ double but was gunned down by Ryan LeFevers in left field.
That was all that Jefferson allowed for the Spartans as the senior hurler allowed just one hit in the final two innings.
Heady, Spurlin and Vagnier led the Norse at the dish. Heady was a perfect 4-for-4 with an RBI. Spurlin reached base three times on two hits and a walk and scored all three times he reached the pads. Vagnier had a game-high two RBIs.
Zac Manuppelli took the loss for USC Upstate, falling to 1-4 after giving up five runs on seven hits and three walks through 5.1 innings. He struck out three Norse.
The sweep for NKU was its first conference sweep dating back to the 2012 season, when it took a pair of doubleheaders in a four-game series from Kentucky Wesleyan on April 6-7. Northern Kentucky took a three-game series from Xavier earlier this season to pick up its first Division I sweep.
Northern Kentucky wraps up a nine-game road swing at Morehead State on Wednesday. Game time is slated for 4 p.m.
From NKU Athletics