Week 4 game notes | A-Sun weekly release
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University baseball team welcomes its first NCAA Division I opponent to the newly renovated Bill Aker Baseball Complex as the Norse host Marshall for a four-game series this weekend.
NKU holds a 2-8 record after winning one game last weekend against Texas State. The Norse scored six runs in the ninth inning to rally from a 5-0 deficit for the win.
Tim Clark pitched one inning of relief to earn his first win of the season, while
Brett Loeding captured his first save.
The schedule for the Northern Kentucky University baseball team's series against Marshall this weekend has been altered due to inclement weather.
A single game will be played on Friday at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center Stadium, home to the Florence Freedom, at 3 p.m. in Florence, Ky. NKU and Marshall will return to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center Stadium on Saturday for a 6 p.m. contest.
The series will conclude on Sunday with a doubleheader at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex. First pitch is slated for noon. NKU and Marshall have never met in baseball.
Live stats and broadcast information are available at NKUNorse.com.
ABOUT MARSHALL: The Thundering Herd are 3-7 on the year after dropping their last five games, including a 6-5 loss to Atlantic Sun member USC Upstate on Sunday. USC Upstate brought three runs home in the bottom of the ninth to earn the victory.
Andrew Dundon leads the offense for Marshall, who is a member of Conference USA. He has started every game and is batting .406 with three doubles, three runs and three runs batted in, while Gray Stafford leads the team with seven RBIs and six runs scored.
Ryan Hopkins (1-1) boasts a 1.69 earned run average over 10 2/3 innings of relief for the Thundering Herd. He has collected 12 strikeouts while only walking two batters in four appearances. Chase Boster (0-1) has started three times this season and holds a 3.46 ERA and has struck out seven batters.
DRAMATIC VICTORIES: In both of NKU's wins this season, the Norse have come from behind. Against Saint Louis on Feb. 22, the Billikens held a 3-0 lead after the second inning. The Norse scored a run in the fifth and added two in the sixth to tie the game.
NKU took advantage of a Saint Louis error to capture the lead after seven scoreless innings between both teams and did not allow a run in the bottom of the 14th inning for its first win as an NCAA Division I program.
A week later, the Norse entered the ninth inning with Texas State holding a 5-0 advantage. NKU scored six runs in the top of the inning to take its first lead of the game, and Loeding retired the Bobcats in order to preserve the victory for the Norse.
NEW NORSE FACES: With the graduation of seven Norse last season, NKU has filled the void with new faces. Eleven freshmen and one transfer have seen playing time during the first ten games of the season.
Cody Kuzniczci leads the Norse offensive attack for newcomers with a .286 batting average in six games.
Aric Harris holds a 4.16 ERA and has struck out four batters in four appearances.
NEW HOME TURF: When NKU and Marshall take the field on Saturday, it will mark the first time a game has been played at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex since it was renovated this fall. The grass and dirt in the infield was replaced with a synthetic artificial turf playing field. The only dirt that remains is the pitching mound.
In addition to the infield turf, the fencing around the field was replaced, pushing the field back a little further, and new foul poles were put into place.
