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Box score (PDF)JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Clinton Freeman went 3-for-3 with four RBIs and two runs scored to lead the East Tennessee State University baseball team to a 6-3 victory over Northern Kentucky University in Atlantic Sun Conference play on Saturday at Thomas Stadium.
Freeman collected two home runs and pitched a scoreless ninth inning for ETSU, which improved to 13-12 overall and 4-1 in the Atlantic Sun.
For the second straight game, ETSU jumped out to a lead after the first inning behind the bats of Chris Cook and Freeman. Cook set up the scoring play with an infield single before Freeman stepped to the plate and sent a 3-0
Wendell Wright pitch over the right-centerfield wall for his first homer of the game to give the Bucs a 2-0 advantage.
The Norse cut their deficit in half after a scoreless second inning.
Josh Myers led off the third with a single to left field, and a sacrifice bunt by
David Head sent him to second.
Kyle Colletta brought Myers home with an RBI single to make it a 2-1 lead for ETSU.
Both teams left runners stranded over the next two innings, but NKU took its second lead of the series in the top of sixth.
Logan Spurlin reached base on a one-out single through the left side, and
Jordan Procyshen followed with his fifth home run of the season, a 0-1 blast over the right-centerfield wall, to set a new NCAA Division I benchmark for the Norse and give NKU a 3-2 lead.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, ETSU used a similar scenario from the first inning to spark the offense. Cook drew a walk before Freeman blasted the first pitch he saw over the right-field wall for his second home run of the game, giving the Bucs a 4-3 advantage.
Dylan Tritsch then sent a one-out single into centerfield, and he went to third on a Tyler Roach single. Trey York was walked to load the bases, and pinch hitter Zach Thompson was hit by a Wright pitch, spelling the end of the day for the NKU starter.
Drew Campbell forced Matt Sorrow into a ground out, but Roach came home on the play for the final run of the game. Campbell ended the inning by striking out Jeremy Taylor on three straight pitches.
Caleb Kellogg attempted to stage an NKU comeback in the top of the ninth when he extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a lead-off single up the middle. NKU, however, was unable to generate any additional offense, and ETSU captured its fifth straight win over the Norse for a 6-1 lead in the all-time series.
Roach went 2-for-4 with a run scored, while Cook, Tritsch, Chris Riopedre and Andrew Lasure each collected a hit for the Bucs, who finished with nine and left seven runners stranded.
Will Chesney (2-1) earned the victory on the mound for ETSU after pitching a perfect eighth inning. Freeman, who also picked up a save in yesterday's 6-3 victory, earned his sixth save of the season by only allowing one hit in the ninth. Starter Jimmy Nesselt allowed three runs on six hits, while striking out one and walking two batters over seven innings of work.
Myers led the way for NKU, which is now 6-18 on the year and 1-4 in the Atlantic Sun, going 2-for-4 with a run scored. Procyshen's home run extended his hitting streak to a team-leading 12 games, while Spurlin's sixth-inning single allowed him to reach base, and he has now successfully earned a spot on the base path in the last 26 games, dating back to last year, that he has appeared in. Kellogg, Colletta and
Cody Kuzniczci also collected hits for the Norse, who recorded seven for the game and stranded six baserunners.
Wright (1-2) went 7.1 innings on the mound for NKU, and he surrendered six runs on nine hits. He collected one strikeout and walked five batters, while Campbell struck out one as he closed the eighth inning.
NKU and ETSU conclude the three-game series on Sunday afternoon with the Norse looking to avoid their first conference sweep of the season. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. Links to live stats, the ASun.TV broadcast and John Asalon's audio broadcast will be available at nkunorse.com.
