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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Derrick Workman finished 3-for-5 with a run scored to help the No. 28 Mercer University baseball team rally for a 9-5 victory over Northern Kentucky University on Friday in Atlantic Sun Conference play at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex.
NKU (8-46 overall, 3-23 in the A-Sun) jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning when
Logan Spurlin's two-out double to right field drove in
Caleb Lonkard.
Bradley Vanderglas started the bottom of the third with a walk, and a sacrifice bunt by
Quint Heady sent him to second.
Brad Clement laced a 1-1 pitch into center field for a double, bringing Vanderglas home. Grant Papelian intentionally walked Spurlin, and
Cody Kuzniczci followed with a single through the right side. Clement scored to stretch the NKU advantage to 3-0.
Kuzniczci batted in his second run of the game in the fifth frame when he singled to score Heady and push the Norse lead to 4-0.
Mercer (41-14 overall, 19-7 in the A-Sun), however, used a five-run sixth inning, highlighted by a two-run home run by Logan Gaines, to take a 5-4 advantage.
Brandon Wood answered in the bottom of the frame when he scored on a Heady single to even the game.
The Bears scored the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth on a Chesny Young RBI single, scoring Evan Boyd for a 6-5 lead.
Play was then suspended due to lightning, and after a nearly two-hour delay, Mercer added three more runs to extend its lead to 9-5. Dimitri Kourtis gave up a single in the bottom of the ninth but held on for the win.
Boyd went 2-for-3 and scored a run for the Bears' offense. Mercer had nine different players account for its 12 hits on the day.
Kourtis (5-1) earned the win after pitching two innings of relief. He surrendered just one hit, collected three strikeouts and did not walk a batter.
Spurlin went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk for NKU, while Heady and Kuzniczci put together 2-for-4 performances on the day. Heady recorded a stolen base as well.
Clement's double gave him 204 career hits and moved him into a tie for seventh place on NKU's all-time hit list with Bryan Jackson, who played for the Norse from 1986-89.
The Norse return to action for the final time during the 2013 season on Saturday with first pitch is scheduled for noon. NKU will honor its 10 seniors prior to the start and will also welcome back former players for alumni day. In addition to the tomorrow's action, senior day activities will also be available via ASun.TV, and live stats and John Asalon's audio broadcast links will be available at NKUNorse.com.
