Week 12 Game Notes |
Atlantic Sun Weekly Notes
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University baseball team returns home to welcome Atlantic Sun Conference foe Lipscomb University to the Bill Aker Baseball Complex for a three-game series this weekend.
First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Friday, with a 1 p.m. start time for Saturday. The two teams will conclude the series Sunday at noon. Live stats and broadcast information will be available at NKUNorse.com.
NKU enters the weekend 8-37 overall and 3-15 in the A-Sun after dropping a doubleheader to Ohio State on Wednesday. The Buckeyes took advantage of Norse errors to bring home the game-winning runs in the 9-8 and 6-5 victories.
Brad Clement went 6-for-9 on the day to lead the NKU offense. He recorded four runs and five RBIs, including a three-run home run in the nightcap.
This weekend will mark the first meeting between NKU and Lipscomb.
ABOUT LIPSCOMB: Lipscomb is 15-30 on the year and 5-13 in the conference. The Bisons dropped the final two games against Stetson last weekend after earning a 6-4 victory in the opening game of the series.
Tyson Ashcraft is batting .298 with 17 runs, 16 RBIs, three doubles, a triple and four home runs to lead Lipscomb's attack. Zach Lowery's six homers and 26 runs scored along with Taylor Stewart's 11 doubles and 25 RBIs top the team this season.
Denton Norman, who the Norse are expected to face on the mound Saturday, and Blake Fonfara each hold a 3.00 earned run average for the Bisons. Norman is 2-1 this season and has recorded 14 strikeouts over 27 innings of work, and he has only surrendered nine earned runs. Will Blalock, Sunday's probable starter, leads the pitching staff with 42 strikeouts.
SIMIILAR NON-CONFERENCE FOES: NKU and Lipscomb have faced four similar non-conference opponents this season: Ball State, Butler, Northwestern and Tennessee Tech. The Bisons hold a 2-4 record against those teams, while the Norse were 1-6.
Lipscomb defeated Tennessee Tech, 12-1, on Feb. 19 and topped Butler, 9-8, in the final contest of a three-game series on March 3. One month later, NKU rallied from a seven-run deficit for a 10-9 victory over Ball State.
CLEMENT CLIMBING: With one swing of the bat on Wednesday, Clement earned a share of eighth place on NKU's all-time runs batted in list. He collected two RBIs in the opener against Ohio State, and his three-run home run in the eighth inning of Game 2 gave Clement 124 career RBIs. He moved into a tie with Mike Pitzer (1994-98).
Clement now needs just eight more RBIs to catch Keith Jackson (2002-05), who is currently in seventh place with 132. He has batted in a team-high 25 runs this season after recording 29 as a sophomore and 50 last season.
COLLECTING 100: In the bottom of the fourth on Saturday, Alex Diaz struck out swinging for
Matt Jefferson's 100th career strikeout. The left-handed pitcher from Indianapolis entered the series with 97 strikeouts and collected four more on the day for 101 total. Jefferson recorded 19 in 10 appearances as a freshman and added 40 to his total during the 2012 season. This year, he has struck out a team-high 42 batters.
Earlier this season,
Brett Loeding also recorded his 100th strikeout in an NKU uniform when he struck out Saint Louis' Alex Kelly in the ninth inning on Feb. 24. He has now compiled 130 as a Norse.
HOME RUNS ADDING UP: The Norse have collected home runs in four out of their last five contests, including two against Ohio State on Wednesday.
Logan Spurlin and
Cody Kuzniczci recorded solo shots for their second home runs of the season against Florida Gulf Coast University on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
Josh Myers sent a two-run homer over the left-field wall to give the Norse a 7-3 advantage in the top of the fifth inning in the opening game on Wednesday, and Clement followed with a three-run home run in the eighth inning in the nightcap.
