In the opening round of the Horizon League Championship, Quint Heady laced a game-tying three-run home run over the left-field wall in the sixth inning, but Valparaiso would go on to score three more and defeat the Northern Kentucky baseball team, 10-7, on Wednesday at Nischwitz Stadium.
With the loss, NKU is eliminated from the tournament.
The Norse conclude the season with a 20-34 overall record, the most wins in NKU’s Division I era. NKU went 9-21 in the Horizon League and made its first appearance in a Division I postseason tournament.
Heady led the Norse offense on Wednesday with a 3-for-5 showing, two runs scored and three RBI.
Will Haueter went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI while Logan Spurlin drove in a pair of runs.
Kyle Colletta and Ryan LeFevers also posted multi-hit showings as NKU and Valpo ended the day tied with 13 hits apiece.
NKU starter Justin Watts held the Crusaders hitless across the first two innings, but Valparaiso claimed an early 2-0 advantage on a sacrifice fly and Norse error in the bottom of the third.
NKU countered in the next inning when Colletta scored Haueter to cut the Valpo lead to 2-1.
Both teams struck for big innings in the fifth with NKU scoring three on a Haueter RBI single and a two-run double from Spurlin. The Norse enjoyed a brief 4-2 lead before Valpo (28-26) unleashed five runs on four hits in the bottom of the fifth to take control. A sacrifice fly and trio of RBI knocks gave the Crusaders their 7-4 advantage.
Heady then sent his three-run home run over the left-field wall to tie the game before the Crusaders responded with a pair of sacrifice flies in the bottom of the frame for a 9-7 lead. Another Valpo insurance run in the bottom of the eighth iced the game.
Aric Harris contributed 2.0 scoreless innings of work as Charlie Jerger absorbed the loss after 0.2 innings pitched. The win went to Valpo starter Dalton Lundeen who allowed 12 hits and seven runs across 6.0 innings.
NORSE NOTES:
· Heady ends the season, and his career as a Norse, with a team-best .330 average. The senior went 24-for-47 (.511) with 10 RBI, nine runs scored and three home runs across the last 10 games.
· With a pair of RBI on Wednesday, Spurlin bested NKU’s Division I single-season RBI record with 40 on the year.
· The Norse recorded double-figure hits in seven of their last nine games.
From NKU Athletics