BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Soloman Williams went 5-for-9, drove in five runs and scored once as the CSU Bakersfield baseball team completed a doubleheader sweep against Northern Kentucky University at Hardt Field on Friday with an 11-3 victory in the opener and a 10-1 win in the nightcap.
 
CSU Bakersfield (2-3) wasted no time taking the lead in the opening game, bringing home a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning.  David Metzgar scored on a Mylz Jones triple to left center, and Jones came home on a ground out two pitches later for a 2-0 advantage.
 
The Roadrunners extended their lead in the second with four runs, capped by a two-run Metzgar double to right field, and added to the advantage in the fourth. A Garrett Pierce single through the right side allowed Chance Gusbeth to score, and Pierce took advantage of a fielding error by Clark Pence as he advanced to third on the play.  Pierce came home on a fielder's choice to give CSU Bakersfield an 8-0 lead.
 
NKU (1-4) finally put a run on the scoreboard in the top of the fifth frame.  Caleb Lonkard sparked the scoring play when he reached base as Kyle Colletta, who led off the inning by being hit by a pitch, was called out at second.  Ryan LeFevers then sent a 1-1 pitch into left field for his second double of the season, bringing Lonkard home to cut the Norse deficit to 8-1.
 
CSU Bakersfield added its final three runs of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning, taking an 11-1 lead, before the Norse offense struck again at the top of the next frame.  Cole Bauml hit a two-out double to left center, and he moved to third on a wild pitch.  Catcher Ross Hough attempted to force Bauml to stop there and threw down to third base, but Bauml was able to come home for the second NKU run of the game.
 
After the Norse retired the Roadrunners in order in the bottom of the eighth inning, Josh Myers started the top of the ninth with a double to right field.  Conor Ledger hit a one-out single up the middle, and Myers scored the final run of the opening game.
 
Pierce led the CSU Bakersfield offense, going 2-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored, while Metzgar went 2-for-4 at the plate with four RBIs.  Williams finished with two hits in five at-bats, and he drove in three runs for the Roadrunners.  Hayden Carter (1-1) earned his first win of the season on the mound after allowing just two runs on nine hits with three strikeouts over seven innings of work.
 
Trey Ganns finished 3-for-4 at the plate to lead the Norse, who recorded 11 hits in the opener.  Matt Jefferson (0-2) took the loss on the mound, allowing seven earned runs in three innings of work.  He struck out two batters and walked three.  Tyler Miller and Cody Cooper each gave up just one hit in two innings of relief, and Miller only allowed one run, which was unearned.
 
CSU Bakersfield opened the nightcap's scoring after four scoreless innings.  Metzgar hit a lead-off double to start the bottom of the fifth and went to third on a Jones single through the left side.  Metzgar scored on a Williams single, and Jones took advantage of a Norse error on the next play, which saw Nick Vehlewald reach base, to plate the game's second run.
 
Vahlewald stole second and went to third as Williams scored after a throwing error by catcher Logan Spurlin.  After Nick Beard replaced Evan Korson on the mound for NKU, a sacrifice fly by Gusbeth brought Vahlewald home for a 4-0 CSU Bakersfield lead.
 
NKU got a run back in the top of the sixth.  Bauml was hit by a James Barragan pitch and proceeded to steal second.  Ganns then hit a two-out single to left field, and Bauml scored to cut the Norse deficit to 4-1.
 
The Roadrunners answered with five runs on four runs and two errors to extend their advantage to 9-1 in the bottom of the sixth and added a run in the eighth inning for the game's final margin.
 
Jones finished 2-for-3 and scored two runs to pace the CSU Bakersfield offense, while Williams went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and one run scored.  Gusbeth collected three RBIs, while Metzgar and Logan Trowbridge posted multi-hit games as well.  Barragan (1-1) picked up his first win of the season for the Roadrunners after striking out six batters and allowing just one earned run on four hits in six innings of work.  Max Carter struck out four Norse in two hitless relief innings on the mound.
 
Ganns continued his hot bat in the nightcap, going 2-for-4 with one RBI, to lead the Norse, and Bauml and Josh Myers collected the other two hits for the Norse.  Jake Shaw (0-2) gave up two earned runs on seven hits over four innings of work for NKU, and he struck out three batters and walked just one.
 
The two teams will return to Hardt Field on Saturday for a single game with first pitch set for 3:30 p.m.  Sunday's series finale is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start time.  Links to live stats and John Asalon's audio broadcast are available at NKUNorse.com.