Northern Kentucky University Athletics

Box score

YPSILANTI, Mich. – Max Colaner had three hits and Pat Williams scored a pair of runs to lead the Northern Kentucky University baseball team to a 6-4 victory over Wayne State (Mich.) in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Tournament.

NKU (36-20) advances in the winners bracket to play the winner between Grand Valley State and Rockhurst tomorrow.  First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
The Norse amassed 10 hits in the contest. Brett Wagner (3-0) got the win with 1.1 innings of scoreless relief.  Brett Loeding closed out the game's final 4.2 innings to earn his 12th save.  The junior reliever, having already set the NKU record for appearances in a season, needs seven innings of work to surpass Dave Middendorf for NKU's single-season record for innings pitched (109.1 in 2011).

Josh Wedesky suffered the loss and fell to 6-4 on the season after surrendering five runs on eight hits in 2.2 innings.  Ethan Vasiliauskas fanned five Norse in 6.1 innings of relief.  Zimmerman and Kasey Koster each had two of WSU's nine hits, all singles.  Wayne State (34-20) will play an elimination game tomorrow against Indianapolis.

Colaner led off the hit parade with a single for the Norse in the top of the first inning.  Brad Clement followed with a single of his own before Phil Smith slapped his team-leading 17th double of the year down the left field line to plate Colaner before the Warriors could record an out.

Kris Hecktor added an RBI single in the first and sent NKU starting pitcher Cody Cooper to the mound with a 2-0 lead before ever throwing a pitch.

The Norse took advantage of two Warrior errors to plate three runs in the third inning and extend the lead to 5-0.  Back-to-back singles by Williams and Zac Asman put runners on the corners before Kris Hecktor rolled a grounder to WSU first baseman Kyle Zimmerman, who's throw to Andrew Ciennik covering at the bag hit Hecktor and got away, allowing Williams to score.

Wayne State clawed back into the game with four runs in the fourth inning off Cooper.

The Norse got an insurance run in the seventh inning with some small ball after Williams was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning.  A sacrifice bunt and a wild pitch got him to third for Hecktor, who lifted a sacrifice fly to centerfield to drive in his 21st run of the season.