NKU players celebrate after defeating Quincy

SAUGET, Ill. - Another even-numbered year, another Great Lakes Valley Conference baseball championship for Northern Kentucky University.

The Norse captured the GLVC Tournament title Sunday with a 3-2 victory over Quincy at GCS Ballpark. Kory Lonergan’s two-out single in the bottom of the ninth inning drove in Josh Moulton with the winning run as NKU claimed its third GLVC Tournament championship in the last five years.

The Norse also captured GLVC championships in 2002 and ’04.

Lonergan, a graduate of Dixie Heights High School, lined a single to left field off Quincy starter Brad Shaeffer to plate Moulton from second base. Moulton began the inning with a walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jon Back.

After Shaeffer struck out Chris Nann, Lonergan stepped to the plate and delivered his clutch single.

“These guys expect to win, and we answered after Quincy rallied to tie the game in the top of the ninth,” NKU head coach Todd Asalon said. “We’ve been in a lot of one-run games this season, so we know how to win these type of games. Kory came through with a big hit in a huge situation, and he has had a great year for us.”

Lonergan, an All-Great Lakes Valley Conference shortstop, went 2-for-5 Sunday. He is batting .298 with a team-leading 40 runs scored this season.

Kory Lonergan gets congratulated on the hit

Steve Thomas (5-0) picked up the win in relief for NKU, which improved to 42-18-1. Quincy (39-18) tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the ninth on a two-out infield single by Shawn Altgilbers that drove in Matt Nichols from third.

NKU manufactured a run in the first inning when Matt Jones reached on an error and later scored on a grounder to shortstop off the bat of Matt Wagers. Quincy evened the score at 1-all in the third, but NKU regained the lead in the sixth when Nick D’Ippolito hit a sacrifice fly that drove in Jones from third.

“We pitch well and run well, and that’s how we are successful,” said Asalon, whose team won despite having only four hits Sunday. “You have to do the little things like bunt and move people over, and we’ve been doing that all season.”

On Saturday night, NKU had posted a 1-0 win against Quincy. The Norse won five times in six meetings with the Hawks this season.

NKU earned an automatic berth in the NCAA Division II North Central Region Tournament, which begins Thursday. Grand Valley State is the probable host, and NKU is expected to be the No. 2 seed in the six-team, double-elimination event.

The Norse are currently ranked No. 23 nationally in the Division II poll. The 42 wins are the most since the 1989 season, when NKU finished 45-9.

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