HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University baseball team (2-10, 0-5 Horizon League) lost a heartbreaker to Oakland (7-5, 1-0 Horizon League) in its home opener at Bill Aker Baseball Complex on Friday afternoon.  

AT THE PLATE 

• Griffin Doersching had a great day, going 2-for-5 with a pair of home runs and a walk, driving home five.  
• Andrew Bacon also had a home run for NKU, finishing the day 2-for-5.  
• John Odom also had a pair of hits in his four at-bat effort.  
• Michael Hall hit a double in a pinch-hit performance.  
• Billy Marion and Jayden Wakeham picked up a hit in the contest as well.

ON THE MOUND 

• Ben Gerl was electric on the mound, tossing 112 pitches for a seven-inning quality start. He allowed just one run in the seventh and punched out four.  
• Tyler Ollier threw an inning, yielding a run on a hit and a walk.  
• Kurt Lange (L, 1-1) gave up three runs on a hit and a couple of walks, recording one out in the ninth.  
• Nick Noble made the final two outs, allowing four runs, three hits and a walk.  

KEY MOMENTS 

• After a scoreless inning and a half, Bacon ripped a home run to left field to leadoff the Norse half of the second.  
• With Odom on with a single to left and Hedges on through a failed fielder's choice, Doersching blasted a deep ball to right-center, giving NKU a 4-0 lead.  
• With the bases loaded in the seventh, Gerl walked one, making it 4-1. Gerl kept his composure, however, silencing the side with a strikeout to strand three.  
• Oakland rallied with eight runs in the top of the eight, including a pair of three-run homers.  
• Michael Hall doubled to left-center in the bottom of the ninth. Doersching cracked his second home-run of the game a couple of at-bats later to score the final runs of the contest.  

UP NEXT 

• The Norse continue their series with Oakland on Saturday with an 11:00 a.m. doubleheader. Game one will go seven innings, with the second game going a full nine.