FORT MYERS, Fla. –
Quint Heady recorded two hits and scored twice for the Northern Kentucky University baseball team, but the Norse fell to Florida Gulf Coast University, 6-5, on Saturday in Atlantic Sun Conference action at Swanson Stadium.
Heady finished 2-for-5 for NKU, which fell to 17-29 overall and 5-12 in the Atlantic Sun, and he recorded his second home run of the season.
David Head and
Dominic Mercurio each went 2-for-4 as Head scored once and drove in one run.
Cody Kuzniczci added his 15th double of the year, batted in two runs and scored once for the Norse, who collected nine hits and stranded five base runners.
Cody Cooper (5-4) took the loss for NKU after allowing six runs on eight hits in a complete-game effort. He struck out four batters and walked three.
NKU wasted no time putting a run on the scoreboard in the first inning. Heady sent the second pitch of the game into right-center field for a single, and he proceeded to steal second.
David Head followed with a single to center field, and Heady came home for the early 1-0 lead.
The Norse struck again in the top of the fourth. Head hit a lead-off single, and
Cole Bauml sent him to third with a single through the right side. Bauml then recorded his 13th stolen base of the season, successfully swiping second, before
Trey Ganns was walked to load the bases. Kuzniczci stepped to the plate and sent a 2-2 double into left field, which brought Head and Bauml home for a 3-0 NKU advantage.
FGCU, which improved to 26-22-1 overall and 9-7 in the Atlantic Sun, plated three runs in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game. Tyler Selesky doubled to lead off the Eagles' frame before a one-out Jake Noll single. Colton Bottomley then doubled down the left-field line to score Selesky, and an Adam Eggnatz single allowed Noll and Bottomley to score.
Heady's home run came in the top of the fifth inning and regained the lead (4-3) for the Norse before FGCU answered with a pair of runs for its first advantage of the contest. Kyle Gilbert drew a lead-off walk, and a sacrifice bunt from Matt Reardon sent Gilbert to second. Selesky sent a 2-1 pitch into the gap in right-center field for a double, scoring Gilbert. Selesky advanced to third as Nick Rivera flew out to Bauml in center field, but Noll singled to bring Selesky home for a 5-4 Eagles lead.
Kuzniczci struck for NKU once more in the sixth. After being hit by a pitch, he stole second and moved to third and scored on a pair of Jordan Desguin wild pitches to tie the game at 5-all, but FGCU answered once more in the seventh. Back-to-back singles from Reardon and Selesky put Reardon on third, and he scored on a
Cody Cooper wild pitch, pushing the Eagles ahead, 6-5.
The Norse threatened in the top of the eighth. Ganns singled through the right side with one out before recording his first collegiate stolen base, but he was stranded at second after a Norse fly out and strikeout.
Selesky finished 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored and one RBI for FGCU, which recorded eight hits and left four runners on base, while Noll went 2-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored and Eggnatz drove in two runs for the Eagles.
Josh Dye (1-1) pitched three scoreless innings of relief for his first victory of the season on the mound for FGCU. He scattered three hits, struck out three batters and did not walk a Norse. Desguin allowed five runs on six hits with six strikeouts and one walk over six innings of work in the start for the Eagles.
NKU and FGCU wrap up the three-game series on Sunday at 1 p.m. Links to live stats and John Asalon's audio broadcast are available at NKUNorse.com. Fans can also track the game's progress by following @NKUNorseGameDay on Twitter.
