Ganns Miami plug
Chloe Smith
18
Winner Northern Kentucky NKU 11-19
7
Valparaiso VALPO 12-17
Winner
Northern Kentucky NKU
11-19
18
Final
7
Valparaiso VALPO
12-17
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Northern Kentucky NKU 2 0 4 2 5 0 0 2 3 18 13 0
Valparaiso VALPO 3 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 7 11 0

W: Kelley, Pat (3-1) L: Inman, Grant (3-3)

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

Ganns’ three homers, eight RBI lift NKU over Valpo, 18-7

VALPARAISO, Ind. – Sixteen of NKU's 18 total runs were scored on home runs on Sunday, which included a grand slam from Trey Ganns as the Norse totaled six homers- three from Ganns to tie NKU's program record and two from TJ Alas- in an 18-7 win over Valparaiso at Emory G. Bauer Field. The Norse clubbed 11 home runs as a team across the three-game set and are now averaging 2.78 home runs per Horizon League contest.

With the win, NKU avoids the sweep and improves to 11-19 overall and 6-3 in League play. Valpo dips to 12-17 (3-6 Horizon).

At the Plate
  • Ganns drove in each of NKU's first six runs with a two-run homer in the first inning and a grand slam in his next at-bat, coming in the top of the third. His eight RBI are a Division-I era record for the Norse as the junior went 3-for-5 with three runs scored and a walk on Sunday.
  • Alas posted his second five-RBI game this season as part of a 4-for-6 showing from the plate with two home runs and four runs scored. His four hits in a single game is a season-high-tying mark for the Norse.
  • Jake Richmond also had a home run and was 2-for-3 with three RBI and three runs scored.
On the Mound
  • Valpo split its six runs evenly across two different innings as the Norse held the Crusaders scoreless in seven different frames.
  • NKU starter Pat Kelley improved to 3-1 and picked up the win for the third-straight outing. Kelley tossed 6.0 innings with nine hits and six runs. He fanned five and walked none. Five of his six runs allowed came on a pair of Valpo home runs.
  • Travis Rowland contributed a shutout inning, retiring each of the three batters he faced.
  • Charlie Jerger threw the final 2.0 frames, allowing two hits and a run.
Key Moments
  • Ganns' first homer of the day was a two-run shot to left-center in the top of the first for a 2-0 Norse advantage.
  • Valpo responded with a home run of its own in the bottom half of the inning to jump ahead, 3-2.
  • Ganns parked his grand slam over the centerfield wall to put NKU back in the lead for good, 6-3, in the third. He scored Alas and Haueter who reached on singles as well as Richmond who was walked.
  • A two-run homer from Alas in the fourth and a three-run homer from Richmond in the fifth helped NKU extend its lead to 13-3 through five. Kyle Colletta and Brad Bohlen also contributed RBI singles as the Norse put together a five-run fifth inning.
  • A three-run Valpo home run from Sam Shaikin cut NKU's lead to 13-6 in the sixth but a two-run bomb from Ganns in the eighth and three-run shot from Alas in the ninth closed out the victory.
Norse Notes
  • Ganns' eight RBI is one shy of matching NKU's program record for RBI in a single game, set by Matt Mason in 2001. Ganns bested Cole Bauml's seven RBI from a May 4, 2014 contest at Florida Gulf Coast for a new Division-I era record.
  • Additionally, Ganns was the first Norse to hit three or more homers in a single game since April 4, 2009 when Joe Mack hit a trio of bombs against Bellarmine to tie the program record.
  • The last time a Norse hit a grand slam was Logan Spurlin on April 3, 2013 at Ball State.
  • NKU's six homers are the most since the Norse clubbed seven home runs at UC Clermont on March 16, 2015 which is the Division-I era record.
  • NKU improves to 6-2 in Kelley's starts.
  • Alas batted .467 (7-for-15) with four homers, a double, seven RBI and six runs scored against Valpo this weekend. He had a 1.333 slugging percentage and .500 on-base percentage.
  • In four games this week, Rowland threw 5.0 relief innings across three appearances with one hit and one run, unearned.
Up Next
  • The Norse will host Miami University Hamilton for a 3 p.m. game at Bill Aker Baseball Complex on Tuesday, April 11 before hitting the road again for a three-game set at League foe UIC April 13-15.
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