HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Will Haueter went 6-for-8 with two runs scored, two doubles and three RBI on Friday as the Northern Kentucky University baseball team fell to the Milwaukee Panthers in a doubleheader by scores of 7-3 and 5-4.
Four runs across the final two innings of game one sealed the Panther victory. In game two, Northern Kentucky scored all four of its runs in the fourth inning for a 4-3 lead, but could not hold off Milwaukee who scored two in the sixth to take control of the game.
The Norse return to action for the regular season finale on Sunday. They host Youngstown State in a noon doubleheader set to air on ESPN3. The game will serve as Senior Day as NKU will honor nine players –
Alex Bolia,
Aric Harris,
Quint Heady,
Kevin Herren,
Ryan LeFevers,
Tyler Miller,
Clark Pence,
Logan Spurlin and
Anthony Vagnier – in a pregame ceremony as part of Senior Day.
Game one (Milwaukee 7 Northern Kentucky 3)
The Norse got out to a 2-0 lead in game one after a pair of groundouts from
Brad Bohlen and
Adam Bolen plated Haueter and
Mike Moffatt in the second inning.
Milwaukee played longball in both games of the doubleheader as five of its first seven runs of game one were scored on home runs.
The Panthers' John Boidanis used a two-run homer to tie the game in the fourth. Luke Meeteer struck twice, with a solo shot in the sixth and a two-run shot in the eighth.
NKU added a run in the seventh on a run-scoring double to left-center from Haueter but it was not enough to catch up to the Panthers as they sealed a 7-3 win with two more runs in the ninth.
Haueter went 4-for-5 with an RBI while
Mike Moffatt and
Trey Ganns each posted a pair of hits.
Ganns absorbed the loss after tossing 7.1 innings with nine hits, five runs, three earned, one walk and seven strikeouts.
Game two (Milwaukee 5 Northern Kentucky 4)
Three more Milwaukee homers in game two doomed the Norse as a solo shot and two-run homer gave Milwaukee a 3-0 lead early before NKU scored four runs on four hits in the fourth inning for a brief lead.
Haueter got the scoring started with a two-run double to score Ganns and
Tito Montgomery. A Moffatt groundout and
Ty Amann RBI double rounded out NKU's scoring for the 4-3 advantage.
Daulton Varsho scored Milwaukee's go-ahead run after launching two-run homer to right in the sixth for the Panther victory.
Justin Watts contributed 4.0 innings of scoreless relief, allowing just two hits and striking out five. The loss fell on
Charlie Jerger who pitched 5.0 innings with seven hits and five runs.
NORSE NOTES:
- Haueter, a redshirt freshman, has batted 13-for-28 (.464) with 11 RBI and five runs scored across the last seven games, dating back to May 1. He surpassed Spurlin as NKU's top hitter on Friday, now batting .325 on the season.
- In his last three relief appearances, Watts has totaled 8.1 innings with five hits, one run and six strikeouts.
- The Norse batted 5-for-7 (.714) with runners on third and less than two outs on Friday.
