Josh Bruns

FLORENCE, Ky. - Jim Volpe went 3-for-4 with a homer and three runs batted in to lead Northern Kentucky University to its 1,000th all-time win, a 7-3 decision over Southern Indiana on Wednesday in the second game of a doubleheader at Champion Window Field.

Chris Nann also added two hits and a homer as NKU upped its record to 23-10-1 overall, 21-6-1 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The Norse are now 1,000-702-2 in 35 seasons of baseball.

Southern Indiana (11-19 overall, 8-18 GLVC) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning of the nightcap and had the bases loaded with one out. NKU pitcher Nathan Jones, however, struck out the final two batters to leave three runners stranded and the Norse trailing just 2-0.

NKU rallied by scoring four times in the bottom of the second. Volpe and Kory Lonergan each had run-scoring singles to key the Norse rally.

After Southern Indiana scored a run in the top of the fourth to cut the NKU lead to 4-3, Volpe responded in the bottom of the inning by hammering his first homer of the season over the right-field wall. Nann lined an opposite-field homer to right in the fifth to extend NKU’s advantage to 6-3, and Volpe added another RBI single in the eighth to cap the scoring.

Greg Moss pitched four innings of scoreless relief to pick up the win, while Greg Pass notched the save by going two innings without surrendering a run.

NKU won the opener, 1-0, as Josh Bruns hurled a one-hitter. The junior left-hander struck out eight batters and allowed just a second-inning double by Sam Shahine. Bruns is now 5-0 this season with a 3.35 earned run average.

Matt Wagers drove in the only run of the game in the fourth inning with an RBI single. NKU, ranked 27th nationally in Collegiate Baseball Newspaper’s NCAA Division II poll, finished with three hits against Southern Indiana starter Mike Watson.

NKU will play host to Quincy this weekend in a key GLVC series at Champion Window Field. Quincy swept a doubleheader from Southern Illinois at Edwardsville on Wednesday and owns a 20-9 overall record.

The Hawks are 18-6 in the GLVC and trail NKU by one-half game in the standings.

GAME 1 BOX SCORE

GAME 2 BOX SCORE