HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky Baseball team (13-19, 11-14 Horizon League) dropped both ends of a doubleheader against Wright State (16-10, 15-3 Horizon League) on Friday at Bill Aker Baseball Complex. The losses keep the Norse at fifth in the Horizon League standings.
Game 1: Wright State 12, Northern Kentucky 1
AT THE PLATE
ON THE MOUND
- Noah Richardson (3-1) started on the mound to open the doubleheader.
- Richardson tossed 5.0 innings, allowed six hits and gave up 11 earns, eight of which were earned. He also fanned eight Raiders in the game.
- Tyler Murphy was given pitching duties to start the sixth inning.
- Murphy pitched the final 2.0 innings and gave up a lone run.
KEY MOMENTS
- With a pair of outs and two strikes, Marion grounded one down the left field line, allowing Doersching to reach home and give the Norse an early 1-0 lead.
- In the top half of the second inning, Wright State drove in three runs after a throwing error by the Andrew Bacon at third. Two of these runs were unearned.
- In the third inning, the Raiders piled on five runs. The first three were scored on a double to left field, the final two were scored by way of a homer to left field.
- Wright State continued to drive in runs as it scored a pair in the fifth inning to take a 10-1 lead
- In the top of the fifth, the Raiders utilized an RBI single to left to score for the fourth-consecutive inning.
- On the very first pitch of the sixth, WSU's Quincy Hamilton crushed a homerun over the left field wall, scoring the final run of the game.
GAME 2 Wright State 8, Northern Kentucky 6
AT THE PLATE
- The Norse totaled 11 hits for.306 (11-of-36) batting average in game two.
- Wakeham (1-for-3), Marion (1-for-5) and Bryce Thomas (1-for-4) registered a hit apiece.
- Hedges (2-for-5), Moss (2-for-4), Liam McFadden-Ackman (2-for-3) and John Odom (2-for-4) combined for six runs and five RBI's.
ON THE MOUND
- Ben Gerl (3-4) saw the mound first in the backend of the doubleheader.
- He hurled 7.0 innings of action and gave up six runs on 10 hits.
- Gerl's day ended when Bryce Smith came to the mound to start the eighth inning.
- Smith threw the final two innings, giving up two runs (one unearned) on two hits.
KEY MOMENTS
- Wright State put up three early runs in the first inning. Two came by way of singles, and the third from an RBI groundout.
- With two outs and a runner on first in the third inning, Wright State hit a 2-RBI homer to left center.
- Thomas opened the bottom half of the third with a triple to center field. The Norse however, were unable to advance him home.
- The Raiders had the bases loaded in the fifth, but left all three runners stranded as the final batter flied out to left field.
- Wright State stretched its lead to six with a homerun to right field in the seventh.
- NKU finally got with three runs in the seventh. Two runs were scored on doubles by Odom and Hedges and another was scored after a balk was called.
- In the final inning of play, Wright State scored a pair of runs with a lone out.
- Northern Kentucky responded in its final at-bat. McFadden-Ackman singled on the first pitch he saw to open the frame. The second pitch of the inning was driven down the left field line by Odom. Hedges the drove a 1-2 pitch over the left field wall to make it 8-6.
UP NEXT
- NKU returns to Friendship Field at Bill Aker Baseball Complex on Sunday to wrap up the series with Wright State. Game one is slated for seven innings with first pitch noon. Game two will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one. Both games can be seen on ESPN+.
