HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Derrik Moeves tossed a one-hit shutout and struck out 12 batters Saturday as Northern Kentucky University defeated the University of Southern Indiana, 1-0, in the first game of a doubleheader at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex at Friendship Field.
Moeves, a sophomore right-hander, also set a Norse single-season record for strikeouts with 96. The previous NKU mark was 85, set by Mike Kichler in 1997.
In addition, Moeves (6-3) extended his streak of scoreless innings pitched to 15 straight. He has also not allowed an earned run in the past 28 innings and has a 1.62 earned run average this spring.
NKU pushed across the game’s only run in the second inning when Lewis Jones walked with the bases loaded. Moeves outdueled Southern Indiana right-hander Andy Rumpler, who scattered three hits and allowed an unearned run.
In the nightcap, NKU completed the sweep with a 7-2 victory. Shaun Erie went 3-for-4 and scored three runs for the Norse, and teammate Jerrod Fraley was 2-for-4 with two runs batted in.
NKU scored four times in the third inning to wipe out a 1-0 deficit. Fraley’s two-run double highlighted the Norse’s four-run outburst in the third.
Erie, a senior third baseman from Louisville, Ky., now has 222 career hits and ranks No. 3 on the Norse’s all-time list in that category.
Alex Frank went 2-for-4 with an RBI for NKU, and Jones was 2-for-3 with a run scored. NKU starter Rick Wood (6-4) scattered six hits in eight innings and surrendered just two unearned runs.
NKU improved to 31-23 overall, 24-14 in the GLVC. Southern Indiana dropped to 23-31 overall, 17-21 in the GLVC.
NKU has clinched a spot in next week’s GLVC Tournament at Sauget, Ill., which begins on May 6. The top six teams in the standings qualify for the GLVC Tournament, and NKU has a chance of finishing second.
NKU moved up to fourth in the latest NCAA Division II North Central Region ratings. The top four teams in that poll will qualify for the NCAA Division II Tournament in May.
NKU will conclude the regular season at noon Sunday with a doubleheader against Southern Indiana.
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Derrik Moeves |