Beard2015 plug
Kody Kahle
5
Winner Valparaiso VALPO 5-11
4
Northern Kentucky NKU 6-11
Winner
Valparaiso VALPO
5-11
5
Final
4
Northern Kentucky NKU
6-11
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E
Valparaiso VALPO 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 5 9 2
Northern Kentucky NKU 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 4 11 2

W: Fritze, Ryan (1-2) L: Miller, Tyler (0-2)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Melissa Powell, NKU Athletic Communications

@NKUNorseBSB falls to Valpo in 10 innings, 5-4

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University baseball team recovered from a two-run deficit in the bottom of the ninth but fell to Valparaiso, 5-4, in 10 innings in the Horizon League opener at Bill Aker Baseball Complex Friday afternoon.

The game was originally set to serve as game one of a doubleheader. However, the second game was pushed back to Saturday at 1 p.m. due to the length of game one. The series finale is still set for Sunday at noon.

Trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the ninth, Will Haueter and Logan Spurlin clubbed back-to-back one-out singles to left field. A Brad Bohlen groundout pushed one run across the plate, shortly followed by the game-tying run that crossed on a Quint Heady RBI single.

With the bases loaded in the top of the 10th inning, Valparaiso's Chad Jacob used a suicide squeeze bunt to plate the game-winning run.

With the loss, NKU dips to 6-11 this season and 0-1 in the Horizon League while Valpo improves to 5-11 and 1-0 in League play.

Haueter and Dominic Mercurio each posted three hits in the game as the Norse out-hit the Crusaders, 11-9.

Reliever Nick Beard shined out of the bullpen, tossing four scoreless innings with three hits, three strikeouts and a pair of walks.

Kevin Herren also contributed a scoreless inning of work and fanned a batter.

Valparaiso scored first in the contest, plating two runs on three hits in the top of the third. Their 2-0 advantage lasted until the bottom of the seventh when NKU took advantage of a Crusader error. Conor Ledger and Will Haueter posted RBI hits to tie the game at 2-2.

A pair of Valpo homers in the eighth inning gave the Crusaders their 4-2 advantage heading to the bottom of the ninth when NKU forced the game into extra innings.

The three-game set resumes on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Bill Aker Baseball Complex.

NORSE NOTES:
  • The game was the second-straight extra-inning contest for the Norse. Their record in extra-inning games dips to 1-2.
  • With his four scoreless innings today, Beard has tossed seven total innings of scoreless baseball this season in his 12 total innings of work so far.
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