BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Cole Bauml and Conor Ledger each went 3-for-5 from the plate to lead the Northern Kentucky University baseball team to an 8-2 victory over CSU Bakersfield in Hardt Field on Saturday in nonconference action.
 
Ledger scored twice and Bauml came home once for NKU (2-4), while Logan Spurlin, Trey Ganns and Kyle Colletta drove in two runs apiece.  Spurlin, Colletta and Quint Heady each recorded two-hit games for the Norse offense.
 
Evan Korson (1-0) earned his first victory of 2015 after pitching four innings of one-hit relief for NKU, striking out four batters and walking two.  Starter Wendell Wright went two innings for the Norse, scattering three hits and striking out one.  Justin Watts earned his first save for the Norse after allowing just two runs, one earned, over three innings of work.  Watts collected three strikeouts and walked one batter.
 
NKU took its first lead of the series in the second inning and did not look back.  David Head drew a one-out walk and went to second on a Ledger single through the left side.  Head and Ledger both advanced an extra base on a Steven Gee wild pitch, and a Kyle Colletta single to right field allowed Head and Ledger to both score for a 2-0 lead.
 
The Norse threatened again in the next frame.  Heady hit a lead-off single to left field, and Bauml followed with a double to left field.  Trey Ganns was intentionally walked with one out to load the bases, but CSU Bakersfield (2-4) turned a double play to end the scoring danger.
 
NKU took advantage of Roadrunner miscues to add to its lead in the top of the fifth inning.  Ledger sparked the offensive outburst with a 1-0 infield single.  Josh Myers laid down a sacrifice bunt to send Ledger to second, and Colletta reached base on a throwing error by shortstop Mylz Jones as Ledger moved to third.
 
Colletta went to second on a wild pitch, and Caleb Lonkard reached base and went to second as Jones attempted to throw Ledger out at home but was offline and Ledger and Colletta each came home to put the Norse ahead, 4-0.  Heady then drew a walk before Lonkard moved to third on a fly out.
 
Spurlin made his first hit of the season count, sending a 1-2 pitch through the infield to bring home Lonkard.  Ganns followed with a double to left field, and Heady and Spurlin came home to stretch the NKU advantage to 7-0.
 
After two scoreless innings, Roadrunners put a run on the scoreboard in the bottom of the seventh.  Logan Trowbridge hit an infield single to start the inning and went to second on a wild pitch.  He later stole third and scored on a throwing error by Spurlin.
 
The Norse added their final run of the game in the top of the eighth inning.  After Bauml doubled to left center, he scored on a Spurlin double to right center to push the NKU advantage to 8-1.  Joey Sanchez scored for CSU Bakersfield in the bottom of the inning for the final margin of the game.
 
CSU Bakersfield, which left nine runners stranded on base, had seven different players record each of the team's seven hits against the Norse.  Sanchez went 1-for-2 and scored once after entering the game as a pinch hitter.  Gee (0-1) pitched 4.2 innings and allowed seven runs, just two earned, on 10 hits with three walks and two strikeouts.
 
NKU and CSU Bakersfield conclude the four-game series on Sunday at 3 p.m. Eastern.  Links to live stats and John Asalon's broadcast are available at NKUNorse.com.  Fans can also follow @NKUNorseGameDay on Twitter for updates as the game progresses.