Box score (XML) |
Box score (PDF)JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The Northern Kentucky University baseball team took advantage of four costly errors to hold off a late East Tennessee State University rally for a 13-11 victory in Atlantic Sun Conference action at Thomas Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Cody Kuzniczci,
Logan Spurlin and
Jordan Procyshen each recorded three-hit games to lead NKU, which improved to 7-18 on the year and 2-4 in the Atlantic Sun. Kuzniczci went 3-for-6 with four RBIs and three runs, while Procyshen saw a similar day at the plate, batted in three runs and scored twice. Spurlin finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored for the Norse, who pounded out 17 hits and left 10 runners stranded on the day.
Clinton Freeman paced the ETSU offense, going 4-for-4 with four RBIs, four runs scored, two doubles and two home runs. Chris Riopedre finished 4-for-5 from the plate and collected two runs, two RBIs and two doubles for the Bucs, who fell to 13-13 overall and 4-2 in the Atlantic Sun.
Consistent with the first two games of the series, ETSU wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. Freeman's two-out shot into left field glanced off
Quint Heady's glove for a double, and he scored on a Riopedre's single to start the first inning. Riopedre proceeded to steal second, and Dylan Tritsch brought him home with a single up the middle to give the Bucs a 2-0 advantage.
ETSU extended its lead in the bottom of the third when a Freeman sacrifice fly allowed Chris Cook, who tripled to right-centerfield to reach base, to come home for a 3-0 Bucs lead.
NKU, however, put a run on the board in the fourth to start its comeback.
Cody Kuzniczci singled to left field to start the inning, and he went to second on a
Jordan Procyshen one-out infield single. Kuzniczci advanced to third as
Caleb Kellogg flew out to centerfield.
Kyle Colletta's infield single scored Kuzniczci to cut the Norse deficit to 3-1. Heady followed with a single to load the bases, but the inning ended before NKU could do additional damage.
Norse starter
Adam Jafine retired the Bucs in order in the bottom of the frame before NKU struck again.
Zac Asman reached base on a lead-off single to start the fifth and went to second on a sacrifice bunt by
Josh Myers. Kuzniczci then sent the first Jamin McCann pitch over the centerfield wall to tie the game at 3-all.
Logan Spurlin proceeded to single to left field before Procyshen knocked a 3-2 shot over the right-field wall, his team-leading sixth home run of the season, for a 5-3 Norse lead.
NKU took advantage of a pair of ETSU errors in the sixth inning to extend its lead.
Brad Bohlen's one-out single to centerfield sparked the Norse offense, and Asman sent a shot back to relief pitcher Logan Rice, who gathered the ball with his glove and scooped it by Freeman at first base. Bohlen went to third and Asman stopped at second on the error.
After a pop out by Myers, Kuzniczci reached base on the second error of the inning as Riopedre's throw pulled Freeman off the base, and Bohlen scored on the play. Spurlin singled to left field to allow Asman to score, spelling the end of the day for Rice and giving the Norse a 7-3 advantage.
Procyshen followed with the fourth hit of the frame for NKU, and Kuzniczci scored as Spurlin advanced to third.
Caleb Kellogg then extended his hitting streak to 11 consecutive games when he tripled to right-centerfield to bring home Spurlin and Procyshen to extend the NKU lead to 10-3.
Cook started the bottom of the frame by reaching base when Jafine's throw to Spurlin at first base was offline, and Freeman followed with a triple. Cook scored on a Riopedre single, and a sacrifice fly by Tyler Roach brought Freeman home to cut the Bucs' deficit to 10-5.
The NKU offense capitalized on more miscues by ETSU in the seventh as well. Heady's infield single led off the inning, and he went to second on a Bohlen sacrifice bunt, which saw Bohlen reaching base on a throwing error by catcher Matt Sorrow. A bunt by Asman advanced both runners, and Myers loaded the bases when he reached on a throwing error by Cook.
A two-run double by Kuzniczci allowed Heady and Bohlen to score for a 12-5 NKU advantage before Spurlin added the final run of the inning with a sacrifice fly that scored Myers.
Freeman started the Bucs' eighth inning with a solo home run to right field, and Roach's three-run shot over the left-field wall reduced the Norse lead to 13-9 and ended Jafine's day. Freeman's second homer of the game, which also scored Cook, came in the ninth inning for the final margin of the game.
Asman and Bohlen each went 2-for-4 from the plate with two runs scored for NKU, while Heady finished 2-for-4 with one run. Kellogg and Colletta rounded out the Norse hits, and Kellogg added two RBIs for the NKU offense.
Jafine (1-4) pitched seven-plus innings for his first collegiate victory. He surrendered six earned runs on 10 hits, while striking out two and not walking a batter. Campbell allowed two runs on two hits and struck out two in two innings of relief.
Roach batted in four runs for the ETSU offense, which finished the game with 12 hits and left just four runners on the base path, while Cook scored three times for the Bucs.
McCann (2-2) took the loss for ETSU after giving up five runs on nine hits over five innings of work. He struck out one and walked one batter for the Bucs, who sent seven different pitchers to the mound on the day.
NKU returns home Wednesday as the Norse welcome Ball State to the Bill Aker Baseball Complex to begin a nine-game homestand. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. Stetson will then visit NKU for a three-game Atlantic Sun series this weekend, starting with a 3 p.m. contest on Friday. Links to live stats and John Asalon's audio broadcast will be available at nkunorse.com.
