COLUMBIA, S.C. — Northern Kentucky University Norse baseball opened up the 2026 season in SEC country, taking on the Gamecocks of South Carolina for the Norse's opening series. In a pair of low-scoring games, the Norse nearly pulled together a ninth-inning rally in game one while fumbling an eighth inning lead in game two.
THE BASICS - GAME ONE
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky - 2, South Carolina - 5
LOCATION: Founders Park - Columbia, S.C.
RECORDS: Northern Kentucky: 0-1 (0-0 Horizon) | South Carolina: 1-0 (0-0 Southeastern)
GAME SUMMARY
– Both teams went scoreless through the first four and a half innings, before South Carolina got on the board in the fifth with a pair of home runs. They added some insurance in the sixth and eighth innings, taking a 5-0 lead over the Norse. NKU opened the ninth with three straight singles, but then three-straight flyouts ended Northern Kentucky's chances of a power conference upset in the season opener.
– It took until the final inning for the Norse to get on the board, but they had plenty of chances early on, including leaving the bases loaded in both the third and fourth innings.
BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN
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Evan Fry got the start on the mound for the Norse, throwing 4.2 innings of two-run ball, allowing four hits and two walks.
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Gerald Hanson relieved Fry in the fifth and allowed a pair of runs in two innings of work.
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Carson French finished off the game for NKU, allowing one run in one and a third innings.
– Center fielder
Mark Nowak led off the game for the Norse and finished 2-4 with a pair of singles and an RBI sac fly in the ninth.
–
Marcus Harrison went 2-4 with a pair of singles.
– Hunter Friedburg tallied a pair of walks and also collected an RBI with a ninth-inning sac fly.
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Pierce Bauerle recorded NKU's first extra-base hit of the season with a fifth-inning double.
THE BASICS - GAME TWO
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky - 5, South Carolina - 6
LOCATION: Founders Park - Columbia, S.C.
RECORDS: Northern Kentucky: 0-2 (0-0 Horizon) | South Carolina: 2-0 (0-0 Southeastern)
GAME SUMMARY
– The Norse led for the majority of the second game, taking a lead in the second inning that they didn't give up until the seventh. NKU opened the scoring in frame two as
Ethan Thomas came home on a wild pitch before
Jake Altman brought home
Landon Springmeyer on a squeeze play. South Carolina got one back in the second on a squeeze of their own, before the ballgame became a pitchers' duel for five innings. The Gamecocks took the lead in the seventh on a two-RBI single before NKU took it right back in the eighth with a three-run frame, started off by a
Josh Williams solo shot. South Carolina tied it back up at five in the bottom of the eighth and launched a walk-off home run in the ninth to seal the win.
BOX SCORE BREAKDOWN
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EJ Miramontes went for four and two-thirds, allowing five hits, one run, one walk, while striking out three.
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Gabe Stout relieved Miramontes and allowed just a walk in two-thirds of an inning.
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Shawn Parnell and
Logan Wilson each pitched 1.1 innings and each gave up a pair of runs.
– Nowak led off again and again tallied a pair of hits, finishing 2-5 at the plate.
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Landon Springmeyer finished 2-4 with a double while scoring a pair of runs.
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Josh Williams launched NKU's first homer of the season, finishing 1-5.
UP NEXT
NKU wraps up its opening series against the Gamecocks on Saturday at 2 PM.
FOLLOW NKU NORSE BASEBALL
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