Box score
MUNCIE, Ind. –
Logan Spurlin's first collegiate grand slam in the sixth inning sparked the Northern Kentucky University baseball team's 10-9 victory over Ball State at the Ball Diamond on Wednesday.
The win marked the third time NKU (4-24) has come from behind to defeat an opponent this season. The Norse overcame an early 3-0 deficit against Saint Louis on Feb. 22 before claiming a 5-3 victory in 14 innings. On March 1, NKU scored six runs in the ninth to defeat Texas State, 6-5.
The Norse jumped out to an early 1-0 lead after the second inning.
Josh Myers reached base on an error by Billy Wellman and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by
Conor Ledger. Clay Manering walked
Cody Kuzniczci and
Pat Hyde to load the bases, and Myers scored when
Quint Heady drew a walk.
Four NKU errors led to eight runs for Ball State (12-13) in the bottom of the fourth inning to give the Cardinals an 8-1 advantage.
The Norse added two runs in the top of the fifth to spark their comeback.
An error by Elbert DeVarie put
Brad Clement on first base, and he advanced to second on a single by Myers. Ledger singled to right field to score Clement and send Myers to third.
Ryan Hinz followed with the third consecutive single, bringing Myers home to cut the Cardinal lead to 8-3.
Cody Cooper replaced
Brett Cisper on the mound to start the bottom of the frame and kept the Cardinals from adding to their lead.
Five of the first six Norse batters reached base in the sixth with
Caleb Lonkard and
Bradley Vanderglas both scoring on bases-loaded walks, setting the stage for Spurlin's grand slam which gave NKU a 9-8 lead.
Both teams tacked on one more run to their totals in the eighth inning for the final margin of the game.
Spurlin finished 3-for-5 with five RBIs to lead the Norse offense, while Ledger went 2-for-4 and scored three times.
Cooper earned the win and improved to 1-2 on the season after pitching three innings. He did not allow an earned run and only surrendered two hits.
Brett Loeding earned his third save of the season.
Jarrett James went 2-for-2 to lead the Cardinals. He added a run and an RBI, while Wellman and Cody Campbell both finished 2-for-5. Wellman collected three RBIs and a run scored, while Campbell recorded two runs and two RBIs.
NKU welcomes East Tennessee State to the Bill Aker Baseball Complex to continue Atlantic Sun Conference play on Friday. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. Links to live stats and broadcast information will be available at NKUNorse.com.
