Courtesy of NKUNorse.com
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Northern Kentucky University baseball team used a pair of big innings to cruise to its first Horizon League series win on Saturday, defeating Youngstown State 11-5 at Eastwood Field.
The Norse (14-20, 4-10 Horizon League) jumped ahead, 5-0, with a four-run fourth and never trailed in the contest, piling on five runs in the eighth to put the game out of reach of YSU (6-21, 1-9 Horizon League).
NKU starter Tyler Miller allowed three runs, two earned, over 5.0 innings of work. Miller held YSU to one hit over the first three innings to allow the Norse to claim an early advantage.
Will Haueter went 2-for-4 with an RBI, a walk and run scored. Quint Heady had a game-high three RBI while Tito Montgomery, Conor Ledger and Dominic Mercurio each drove in a pair of runs.
In the top of the second, a Mercurio RBI single scored Trey Ganns for the game’s first run for a 1-0 Norse lead.
A two-run single from Ledger highlighted NKU’s four-run fourth. Mike Moffatt crossed on a fielder’s choice while Montgomery singled in a run for the 5-0 advantage.
The Penguins contested two runs in the bottom of the fourth to cut the Norse lead to 5-2, but NKU spotted a run in the seventh, then capitalized on a hit, a YSU miscue and four walks en route to the five-run eighth.
Pierce Knisley contributed 2.0 scoreless innings with two hits while Kyle Colletta closed the game, allowing two runs in 2.0 innings.
The finale of the three-game series is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. at Eastwood Field.
NORSE NOTES:
- The Norse have scored 20 runs and posted 23 hits in two games against YSU.
- Montgomery has gone 5-for-10 with five RBI against the Penguins this weekend, and is 10-for-20 with nine RBI across the last eight games.
- Miller has allowed four runs, three earned, over his last 18.1 innings of work.
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