SACRAMENTO, Calif.  – The Northern Kentucky University baseball team fell to Sacramento State, 6-5, on Friday. The Hornets clubbed a pair of RBI singles in the bottom of the 11th to win in walk-off fashion at John Smith Field.

NKU (1-4) held a 5-4 edge over Sacramento State (4-1) heading into the bottom of the 11th. Sophomore Will Haueter drove in a go-ahead run with a two-out RBI single in the top of the 11th. Freshman Preston Pilat scored after reaching on an error and advancing to third to lead off the frame, but it would not provide enough insurance to seal a victory.

At the Plate

• Senior TJ Alas was a triple shy of the cycle. He went 3-for-4 and laced his second home run of the season. The senior also scored twice and drove in a pair of runs.
• Haueter matched Alas with a trio of hits and a pair of RBI.
• Junior Dominic Mercurio went 2-for-3 with a run scored while Chad Roberts added an RBI.
• NKU posted a season-high nine hits, but was out-hit by the Hornets, 11-9.

On the Mound

• NKU pitchers struck out a season-high 11 batters.
• Norse starter Pat Kelley twirled 6.0 innings, giving up eight hits and four runs. He walked four and fanned three.
• Seth Rosenberg relieved Kelley and retired each of his six batters faced, striking out three.
• Cameron Ross matched Rosenberg with a pair of shutout innings. Ross made an appearance out of the bullpen for the second-straight game and retired six of his seven batters faced.
• Travis Rowland closed the game and struck out two in 0.2 innings.

Key Moments

• Both teams got off to a scoring start. Alas, NKU's leadoff hitter, sent the second pitch of the game over the right field wall to put the Norse ahead, 1-0, in the first.
• NKU's lead was short-lived as the Hornets responded with two runs off three hits and an error in their half of the frame to lead 2-1.
• In the third, the Norse scored two to jump ahead, 3-2. Haueter singled home Alas followed by a bases-loaded hit by pitch that plated Jake Richmond.
• The Norse lead was again short-lived. An RBI single and sacrifice fly put the Hornets back on top, 4-3 in their half of the third.
• In the next half inning, Alas drove in Mercurio on an RBI double for the game-tying run that would eventually force the game into extra innings.
• NKU pitchers combined to allow just two Hornet hits from the fourth inning through the 10th as Sacramento State had just one base runner through a stretch of four innings.

Norse Notes

• Northern Kentucky relievers have combined for a 3.48 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 20.2 innings pitched so far this season.
• Norse pitchers have posted a 3.86 ERA against the Hornets over the last two games, holding them to a .200 batting average. Further, the pitching staff has fanned 18 Hornets in 18.2 innings pitched and have allowed just two extra-base hits.
• Alas improves his team-leading slugging percentage to .682. He is also tied for second on the team in batting average at .318. Four of his seven hits this season have been extra-base knocks, including two home runs.
• Kelley has pitched a team-high 11.0 innings across his first two starts.

Up Next

• The Norse and Hornets continue the four-game series on Saturday with a 5 p.m. ET first pitch at John Smith Field. The finale is set for Sunday at 4 p.m. ET.