WESTFIELD, Ind. – The Northern Kentucky University baseball team wrapped up a four-game series against Western Illinois with a doubleheader on Sunday, winning game one 7-4 after a strong showing from the Norse pitching staff. The Norse fell in game two, 8-6.
NKU pitchers held Western Illinois scoreless for a stretch of 12-straight innings between the first and second game.
Meanwhile, the offense was led by
Kyle Colletta who went 5-for-8 on the day with a triple, stolen base, four runs scored and an RBI.
Trey Ganns shined on both sides of the ball, going 5-for-9 with four RBI. The sophomore made his first pitching appearance this season, throwing 4.0 shutout innings and picking up the win in game two.
With the split, Northern Kentucky moves to 4-7 on the season while Western Illinois sits at 2-8.
The Norse return to action on Friday, March 11 when they open a four-game series against Alabama State in Montgomery, Alabama.
Game One (Northern Kentucky 7, Western Illinois 4)In game one, Western Illinois scored all four of its runs in the top of the first inning before the Norse pitching staff shut down the Leatherneck offense throughout the remainder of the game.
Ganns stepped in with no outs in the first inning and retired 10 of his first 11 batters en route to tossing 4.0 scoreless innings.
In the fifth inning,
Nick Beard took over and contributed 3.0 scoreless frames, allowing just one hit. Beard retired seven-straight before allowing his first baserunner on a walk in the top of the seventh.
Aric Harris and
Alex Bolia each struck out a pair of batters in 1.0 inning pitched as Bolia earned his second save this season.
Offensively, Ganns went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI to help NKU out-hit WIU 10-2.
The Norse recovered from the early 4-0 deficit, spotting two runs in the second inning and three in the third to take a lead they would not relinquish. The second-inning runs came on a
Brad Bohlen sacrifice fly and WIU error while a two-run homer from Moffatt highlighted the three-run third.
A pair of runs in the seventh on a Colletta triple and a single from Ganns sealed the 7-4 win.
Game Two (Western Illinois 8, Northern Kentucky 6)The teams waged a back-and-forth battle in game two with five Norse posting a multi-hit showing. Colletta,
Brad Bohlen and
Dominic Mercurio each had three hits. Ganns and
Logan Spurlin added a team-high two RBI each.
Starter
Tyler Miller held WIU scoreless through the first four innings while Western Illinois starter Ian Koch did the same.
The bats came alive in the fifth with NKU trailing Western Illinois 3-2 through five frames. Reliever
Charlie Jerger used a strikeout to strand two on base to limit damage in the top of the sixth when the Leathernecks took a 5-2 lead.
Northern Kentucky tied it up in the bottom of the sixth on back-to-back RBI singles but a solo homer from WIU's Colton Pogue in the seventh doomed the Norse as they trailed Western Illinois the rest of the game.
NORSE NOTES:- As a team, the Norse hit for the cycle in game one with a homer from Moffatt, triple from Colletta and three doubles, two off the bat of Ganns.
- Despite falling in game two, NKU out-hit the Leathernecks, 16-15.
- Will Haueter, who did not see action in game one, extended his season-opening hit streak to 10 games, clubbing his team-leading 15th hit in game two.
