Paul David Patterson

QUINCY, Ill. - Paul David Patterson pitched six shutout innings to pick up the victory Sunday as the Northern Kentucky University baseball team posted a 7-2 win over Quincy in the first game of a doubleheader.

Patterson, a 6-foot-8 junior right-hander, allowed four hits and walked just one batter before giving way to reliever Shane Gordon in the seventh inning. Gordon surrendered two runs, but NKU held off the Hawks for the win.

Matt Wagers went 2-for-3 and drove in three runs to lead the offense in the opener. Wagers had a pair of RBI singles and added a walk with the bases loaded to drive home another run.

Conor McGeehan went 3-for-3 and scored twice for NKU, which jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Keith Jackson and Josh Moulton each added two hits, while Alex Frank scored two runs.

In the second game, Quincy built a 5-0 lead after four innings and coasted to an 8-3 win over NKU. Chris Scroggins went 2-for-3 with two RBI to spark the Hawks, while teammate Mark Taylor added two hits and two RBI.

Jackson hit a two-run home run for NKU, which is 26-22 overall, 18-12 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Matt Jones went 3-for-4 and scored a run, while Moulton hit a pair of doubles.

Quincy, which won three of the four games in the weekend series, is 27-23 overall, 19-15 in the GLVC.

NKU remained in third place in the GLVC standings with the split. NKU can clinch the No. 3 seed in the upcoming GLVC Tournament by winning five of its last six games this week. The Norse play host to Bellarmine in a GLVC doubleheader at 1 p.m. Wednesday.

NKU will conclude the regular season next weekend with a four-game series at Southern Indiana, beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday.

Wisconsin-Parkside and Saint Joseph’s are tied for first place in the GLVC with 25-7 records, and either the Rangers or Pumas will be the No. 1 seed in the GLVC Tournament May 12-15 at O’Fallon, Mo. Those two teams will meet in a doubleheader this week at Kenosha, Wis.