Game notes
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University baseball team takes to the road one last time during the 2013 season with a non-conference game against Bowling Green State University on Tuesday at William E. Steller Field in Bowling Green, Ohio.
First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m., and a link to live stats will be available at NKUNorse.com. Tuesday's contest will mark the first meeting between NKU and BGSU in baseball.
The Norse are 8-43 on the year after being swept by Atlantic Sun Conference foe Stetson over the weekend.
Tim Clark pitched 7 1/3 innings and surrendered two runs on seven hits in Friday's 3-2 loss. The Hatters then cruised to an 8-2 victory on Saturday and defeated NKU, 7-6, on Sunday to complete the sweep.
Caleb Lonkard finished 4-for-10 with a run scored and a walk over the three games to lead the Norse offense.
NKU is 3-21 in the A-Sun and will conclude its inaugural NCAA Division I season at home with a three-game series against No. 21 Mercer. First pitch on Thursday is scheduled for 3 p.m. with a 1 p.m. start on Friday. The Norse will honor their seniors prior to Saturday's contest at noon, and it will also be alumni day.
ABOUT BOWLING GREEN STATE: BGSU enters the game with an 18-26 overall record and a 12-12 mark in the Mid-American Conference. The Falcons are coming off a series road win over Ohio University last weekend. The two teams split a pair of 10-inning games on Saturday with Ohio earning 4-3 victory in the opener, and BGSU winning the nightcap, 7-2. The Falcons cruised to a 16-2 win on Sunday to take the series.
T.J. Losby powers the BGSU offense with a .358 batting average. He leads the team in RBIs (37), runs scored (28) and home runs (6). Jeremy Shay is hitting at a .301 clip on the years and has collected 5 homers. Shay lead the Falcons with 12 doubles.
NKU is expected to face Brett Fitzwater on the mound on Tuesday. Fitzwater is 2-2 this season and holds a 5.32 earned run average. He has struck out 16 batters over 22 innings of work. He has made eight appearances, including five starts, for BGSU.
AGAINST THE MAC: This season, the Norse are 1-2 against MAC opponents.
Logan Spurlin went 3-for-5 with five RBIs and his first collegiate grand slam in NKU's 10-9 victory over Ball State on April 3. Eastern Michigan defeated the Norse 2-1 in 10 innings on March 15 and 15-9 the following day at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Tuesday's action marks the last road trip of the season after traveling to DeLand, Fla., this past weekend to face Stetson. The Norse have played in 29 games away from home, including 17 contests against non-conference foes. On the road, NKU is 3-26 with the wins coming against Saint Louis in Nashville, Tenn., Texas State and Ball State.
ONE RUN GAMES: Sunday's 7-6 loss to Stetson marked the 19th time this season an NKU game has been decided by one run, including nine of the last 14. On the year, the Norse are 4-15 in one-run contests. The four victories were against Texas State (6-5), Ball State (10-9), Indianapolis (5-4 in 12 innings), and Jacksonville (4-3).
CLEMENT CLIMBING: Brad Clement has entered two career top 10 lists for NKU this season. With one swing of the bat on May 1, the senior from Brunswick, Ohio, earned a share of eighth place on NKU's all-time runs batted in list with Mike Pitzer (1994-98) when his three-run home run against Ohio State gave him 124 RBIs. He collected two more against Stetson on Sunday for a total 127 to take sole possession of eighth place. Keith Jackson (2002-05) is currently in seventh place with 132 RBIs.
On Sunday, Clement climbed into NKU's career hit list. He finished 2-for-4 on the day, and his first hit moved him into a tie for 10th place with Chris Helfer (1993-96) with 200 total hits. Clement then moved into ninth on NKU's career hits list with 201 with a single down the right-field line in the sixth inning. He is tied with Brandon Chesnut, who played for the Norse from 1991-94.
Gary Wall (1974-78) is currently in eighth place with 203 career hits, while Bryan Jackson (1986-89) sits in seventh with 204.
