SAUGET, Ill. - Matt Wagers lined a two-out, run-scoring single to snap a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the seventh inning Saturday night as Northern Kentucky University held off Quincy University, 2-1, to advance to the championship round of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament.
Conor McGeehan led off the seventh with a walk, and he advanced to second base on Craig Craddock’s sacrifice bunt. After Lewis Jones popped out to third baseman Eric Caby for the second out, Wagers stepped to the plate and drilled Quincy pitcher Chris Otten’s first delivery into right field for a single.
Quincy right fielder Wes Steele came up with the ball, but his off-target throw had to be cut off by first baseman Jamie Simmons and McGeehan scored the go-ahead run. NKU starter Rick Wood and reliever Justin Seiter made the one-run lead stand, and the second-seeded Norse (36-23) advanced to Sunday’s championship round against third-seeded University of Missouri-St. Louis (30-22-1).
Wood (7-4) lasted 7 2/3 innings and picked up the win for NKU. He allowed just five hits and one run, that being a Simmons homer in the third inning which gave Quincy a 1-0 lead. Wood also recorded eight strikeouts and walked just one batter.
NKU trailed 1-0 entering the fourth inning, but singles by Shaun Erie and Jerrod Fraley put runners on first and third with two outs. Otten then uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Erie to score the tying run.
Seiter came out of the bullpen in the eighth and retired all four batters he faced to earn his eighth save of the season. NKU - the top pitching team in the GLVC - has allowed just four runs in three games during the GLVC Tournament.
NKU and Missouri-St. Louis split a four-game series earlier this season at Highland Heights, Ky. The Rivermen advanced to the championship round by defeating top-seeded University of Wisconsin-Parkside, 2-0, on Saturday.
Missouri-St. Louis will have to beat NKU twice Sunday to win the GLVC Tournament title. The Norse are 3-0 in the GLVC Tournament, while Missouri-St. Louis already has lost once in the double-elimination event.
NKU is seeking its second GLVC Tournament championship in the past three years. The Norse also captured the 2002 title at Highland Heights, Ky.
NKU is ranked No. 4 in the latest NCAA Division II North Central Region ratings, and the top four teams in that poll will qualify for the NCAA Division II Tournament.
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Matt Wagers |