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By Mike Anderson, NKU Sports Information Game 1 box score | Game 2 box score CARROLLTON, Ga. – The bats were out in force once again for the Northern Kentucky University baseball team as the Norse ran their winning streak to five games after a doubleheader sweep against West Georgia. NKU won Game 1 by a 6-4 final before taking a 17-7 result in Game 2. After a leadoff home run by Justin Smith in the second inning set the tone for West Georgia, Evan McDole evened things up when he scored on a West Georgia misplay in the fourth. The Wolves, however, responded with three runs in the bottom of the frame, punctuated by a solo home run by Eric Melton, to take a 4-1 edge. It was all NKU from there. McDole came through again in the fifth, this time to drive in Pat Muth on a single up the middle to cut the edge to two, before Jack Ambrose cranked a one-out grand slam to give the Norse their first lead of the game. Matt Winterhalter came through to slam the door in the bottom of the seventh inning for the save. Kevin Jordan (3-0) got the win in relief, giving up two hits and striking out one in 2 1/3 innings of relief. Eric Braeckel went 3 2/3 innings in the start with two strikeouts. The offense didn’t slow down in Game 2, as McDole continued his tear through the weekend, cranking out an opposite-field homer in the top of the first to set the tone. The senior would give the fans an instant replay in the third inning, this time carrying a shot to right field to open up an eight-run inning for the Norse. Shannon McCormick added a two-run homer of his own in the frame, while Ambrose, Jeff Bohlen, Brett Hofmann and Kevin Dusold each claimed RBIs of their own as NKU stretched the lead. West Georgia did not go away quietly as Andrew Parrish hit a three-run homer in the third, while Melton and Chris King added long balls of their own to draw the score to 9-7. McCormick pushed the margin back to three with a solo home run to open the sixth inning, his second of the game and of the season, before the Norse exploded with a seven-run seventh that opened with a Dusold RBI-single followed by a three-run homer by Ambrose, his fifth of the season. Ambrose was 7-for-9 on the day with eight RBIs. Hofmann, McCormick and Dusold all claimed three-hit games in the nightcap, with McDole going 2-for-3 on the contest. Starter Brent Wethington (1-0) got the win for NKU, giving up seven runs on seven hits with a pair of walks and two strikeouts. Matt Winterhalter entered a three-run game in the sixth inning and closed it out to claim his second save of the day and third of the season. The wins pushed NKU to 8-5 on the season, while West Georgia fell to 5-16. NKU continues its Spring Break trip on Wednesday when the Norse face Truman State in a doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. |
