David Head recorded two doubles and scored twice as the Northern Kentucky University baseball team dropped a 6-5 thriller to Jacksonville University at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex on Sunday in Atlantic Sun Conference action.
Head finished 2-for-4 with one RBI to lead NKU, which fell to 17-27 overall and 5-10 in the Atlantic Sun, while Trey Ganns drew two walks, hit one double and collected three RBIs for the Norse.
Cole Bauml extended his hit streak to 11 games and on-base streak to 45 games for the Norse, who recorded six hits and stranded 11 base runners.
Matt Jefferson (3-6) took the loss on the mound for NKU, giving up six runs, four earned, on nine hits in six-plus innings of work, and he struck out six Jacksonville batters and walked four. Cody Cooper pitched 2.2 innings of scoreless relief work, and he struck out two batters and walked two.
Jacksonville, which improved to 21-25 on the year and 7-8 in the conference, took advantage of an NKU error in the second inning to take the lead. Austin Hays hit a lead-off double to center field, and Garrett Ruckel reached base with two outs as David Head had a hard time gaining control of Ruckel’s hit and Hays went to third. J.J. Gould followed with a single up the middle, which scored Hays, for a 1-0 Dolphins advantage.
In the bottom of the fourth, NKU’s David Head drew a lead-off walk, and Cody Kuzniczci recorded a one-out single through the left side to send Head to second. Logan Spurlin then reached base on a fielder’s choice play, which saw Kuzniczci out at second, and Head went to third. A Trey Ganns double to right-center field allowed Head and Spurlin to score, tying the game at 2-2.
The Norse once again responded in the bottom of the inning. Dominic Mercurio led off with a single up the middle, and a sacrifice bunt from Quint Heady sent him to second. David Head doubled down the left-field line to bring Mercurio home and knot the game at 3-3.
Jacksonville led 6-3 lead before the NKU offense struck in the bottom of the seventh. Head sent a one-out double into deep center field, and Cole Bauml was then walked.
Logan Spurlin drew a two-out walk to load the bases, and Trey Ganns was walked, which brought Head home and pulled the Norse to within two (6-4). Kyle Colletta stepped in to pinch hit for Anthony Vagnier, and he was hit by a Dylan Dillard pitch to send Bauml home to cut the NKU deficit to 6-5.
NKU threatened in the bottom of the eighth. Mercurio drew a walk to start the inning, and a Heady sacrifice bunt sent him to second. Bauml was intentionally walked with two outs before Mercurio advanced to third on a wild pitch. However, a strikeout ended the Norse inning before Mercurio could come home.
NKU takes a break from midweek action to focus on finals week before the Norse head to Florida Gulf Coast for a three-game series in Fort Myers, Florida. First pitch for Friday’s opener is set for 6:30 p.m. Links to live stats and John Asalon’s audio broadcast are available NKUNorse.com. Fans can also keep up with the game’s progress by following @NKUNorseGameDay on Twitter.
NKU softball falls on Senior Day to end season
The Northern Kentucky University softball team honored its senior class on Saturday afternoon before dropping a 12-3 decision to Jacksonville to close out the 2015 regular season.
The Norse took time before the game to honor their senior class – Alex Caudill, Allie Conner, Katelyn Roy, KC Straley and Taylor Zuberer – in a special pregame ceremony. All five seniors also found themselves in the starting lineup for their final game at the Frank Ignatius Grein Softball Field.
A nine-run second inning made all the difference for the Dolphins, who finished the regular season at 28-26 overall and 10-11 in Atlantic Sun Conference play. NKU wrapped up the year at 6-42 overall and 1-20 in conference.
Caudill went 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI and Kate Bartolovich went 2-for-3 as the Norse totaled eight hits and left nine runners on base. Dani Devlin added a solo home run to bring her team-leading total to 12 on the season.
A three-run double by Brooke Smith got the scoring started for Jacksonville in the first, scoring Emily Sanchez, Ashley Simon and Lexi Ballard, who each had hard-hit singles to the third-base side. Devlin’s solo shot in the bottom half of the frame bounced off the top of the wall in left-centerfield to cut the Dolphins’ advantage to 3-1.
The Norse struggled through the top of the second inning as Jacksonville sent 13 batters to the plate, collecting seven hits and nine runs, keyed by two-run singles from Allie McCourt and Brooke Hardy.
NKU would score twice more, as Straley drew a bases-loaded walk in the second inning to score Caudill before the senior hit a double off the top of the wall in left center to score Bartolovich and reach the final score.
Caudill (2-15) took the loss for the Norse, giving up five runs on six hits in 1.1 innings in the start. Ashlynn Roberts threw 3.1 innings of effective relief, scattering seven hits and two runs, one earned, while adding one strikeout.
From NKU Athletics