HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The home opener for the Northern Kentucky University baseball team was an offensive explosion for the Norse, who hit a total of seven home runs in an 18-2 win over Cincinnati-Clermont on Monday afternoon.
 
The Norse (4-12) surpassed their 2014 season high of three home runs hit in a single game, set at Loyola Marymount on March 9, 2014.
 
Twelve different Norse shared in NKU's 17 hits on the game as Trey Ganns, Mike Moffatt, Quint Heady, Anthony Vagnier and Caleb Lonkard each recorded two-hit days. Heady and Vagnier each drove in three runs,  while Cody Kuzniczci scored three runs.
 
The game started off well for the Norse with two quick strikeouts by starting pitcher Ganns before a double to left-center field by UC-Clermont batter Ryan Mummert, a wild pitch and a subsequent single by Jay Schunk scored Mummert to give the Cougars (2-4) an early lead. In the bottom of the inning, Bauml reached on an error to set up a two-run home run by Kuzniczci, giving the Norse a 2-1 lead after the first inning.
 
Moffatt hit his first career homer in the bottom of the second inning to give the Norse a 3-2 advantage. A Nick King RBI-single in the top of the third cut NKU's lead in half before the Norse went on to score 15 unanswered runs.
 
Bauml got the Norse started in the bottom of the third inning with a home run over the right-field wall that extended his hitting streak to 26 games. Clark Pence doubled down the left-field line later in the inning, scoring Kuzniczci, who walked following the Bauml homer. Logan Spurlin followed up with a sacrifice fly to score Ganns to give the Norse three runs in the inning and extend the lead to 6-2.
 
Brad Bohlen, Spurlin and Taylor Spears walked consecutively to set up a big fifth inning. Moffatt picked up an infield hit to score Bohlen before Dominic Mecurio was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score Spurlin. Sears scored on a passed ball to close the scoring in the frame with the Norse leading, 9-2.
 
After Bohlen added on with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning to score Kuzniczci, the Norse picked up the rest of their runs on four long balls. Conor Ledger and Vagnier each claimed their first career homers in the seventh inning, each of the two-run variety, to make it a 14-2 game. Quint Heady added a three-run bomb in the eighth, while Vagnier also went yard once more to get the Norse to the 18-2 final score.
 
Ganns got the win in a three-inning scheduled start as seven Norse pitchers combined to hold the Cougars to two runs on eight hits. Ganns struck out two and improved his record to 1-1 on the year.
 
The Norse will next play on Wednesday, March 18 in Dayton, Ohio, as they take on Wright State. NKU returns home the following day to host Miami Hamilton for a 4 p.m. first pitch. For NKU baseball information this season, be sure to follow @NKUNorseBSB on Twitter and Northern Kentucky University Athletics on Facebook.