Northern Kentucky Swept by Rival Wright State

After a 15–12 home loss to Bellarmine, Northern Kentucky traveled to Dayton for a three‑game Horizon League series against rival Wright State but were swept, falling 9–5 in Game 1, 14–4 in Game 2, and 6–1 in Game 3. 

Game One

After two scoreless innings, Northern Kentucky broke through in the top of the third. Hunter Friedberg drew a 3–1 walk, and Alex Brazer followed with a single down the right‑field line to move him into scoring position. Mark Nowak then came through moments later, singling to left to drive in Friedberg and put the Norse ahead 1–0.

NKU kept the inning alive as Pierce Bauerle beat out an infield single to load the bases. That set the stage for Jak Paulick, who launched a grand slam to left field, giving the Norse a commanding 5–0 advantage. 

Wright State immediately countered in the bottom half. Zac Butler worked a full‑count walk, and Cy Turner ripped a double to center to get the Raiders on the board at 5–1. Hunter Warren followed with an RBI double to left, trimming the deficit to 5–2. After a groundout moved Warren to third, Andrew Duncan brought him home with a routine grounder back to the mound, cutting NKU’s lead to 5–3. 

The Raiders kept the pressure on in the fourth. Braylen Bloomquist singled to right, and Butler added another single to load the bases. A Northern Kentucky pitching change didn’t halt the momentum — a wild pitch allowed a run to score, making it a one‑run game at 5–4. 

Wright State completed the comeback in the fifth. JP Peltier opened the inning with a walk, and Keegan Holmstrom singled up the middle. A fielding error on the play allowed both runners to score — one earned, one unearned — giving the Raiders their first lead of the afternoon at 6–5. 

Wright State added insurance in the seventh when Holmstrom doubled down the left‑field line and Patrick Fultz followed with a two‑run homer to left, stretching the lead to 8–5. 

In the eighth, the Raiders tacked on one more as JP Peltier delivered a solo home run to left, pushing the margin to 9–5. 

NKU had one final chance in the ninth but couldn’t muster a hit, as Wright State closed out a 9–5 win to take Game 1 of the series. 

The Norse finished with just four hits in 31 at‑bats compared to the Raiders’ 10 hits in 34 at‑bats, while Wright State starter Cam Allen dominated on the mound with nine strikeouts. 

Game Two

Wright State wasted no time in Game 2, striking early in the first inning. Hunter Warren opened with a single through the left side, and Braylen Blomquist was hit by a pitch to put two aboard. Andrew Duncan then reached on a Northern Kentucky fielding error, loading the bases and pushing Warren to third. 

With two on, JP Peltier delivered a big swing, ripping a double to left‑center to drive in two runs and give the Raiders an early 2–0 advantage. Keegan Holmstrom followed with a walk, and Wright State added another run when Nate Manley lifted a shallow infield fly that allowed a run to score, extending the lead to 3–0. 

Holmstrom later stole second on a failed NKU pickoff attempt, and in the chaos, Peltier stole home on an unearned run to push the margin to 4–0. 

Wright State kept rolling in the fourth. Manley lined out to short, but Patrick Fultz reignited the inning with a double to right‑center. Zac Butler followed up with an RBI single up the middle to make it 5–0, and Warren added another single. A throwing error by NKU allowed Butler to score an unearned run, stretching the lead to 6–0. 

The Raiders continued to pour it on in the fifth. Duncan reached on another NKU fielding error, and Peltier doubled again to left‑center, moving Duncan to third. Holmstrom drew his second walk of the game, and pinch‑hitter Gus Gregory walked on a 3–1 count to force in a run, making it 7–0. 

With the bases loaded, Fultz delivered the knockout blow — a grand slam to left‑center, blowing the game open and giving Wright State a commanding 11–0 lead. 

Northern Kentucky finally broke through in the seventh when Ethan Thomas launched a solo home run to left‑center, cutting the deficit to 11–1. The Norse kept the inning alive as Alex Brazer walked; Hunter Friedberg was hit by a pitch, and Mark Nowak singled to right to load the bases. Jak Paulick drew a full‑count walk to bring home a run, making it 11–2. 

Josh Williams grounded out to second to plate another run, and a passed ball allowed Nowak to score, trimming the margin to 11–4. 

But Wright State answered immediately in the bottom half. Gregory and Fultz both walked, and Butler singled to left to bring home another run, pushing the lead to 12–4. Cy Turner reached on a fielder’s choice, and another groundout brought home a run to make it 13–4. 

Blomquist capped the scoring with a single up the middle, driving in the final run to secure a 14–4 victory and the series win for the Raiders. The game was shortened to seven innings as Wright State enforced the 10‑run rule.  

The Norse mustered only four hits in the loss. Starting pitcher EJ Miramontes allowed nine runs (five earned) on nine total baserunners while striking out three, dropping him to 2–3 on the season.  

Offensively, Northern Kentucky managed just four hits in 23 at‑bats, drawing five walks and being hit by a pitch four times, but couldn’t turn those opportunities into sustained production. 

Game Three

Wright State came out firing in Game 3, striking immediately in the first inning. Hunter Warren opened with a single to center, followed by another single from Braylen Blomquist to put two aboard. Andrew Duncan then delivered a double to left field, driving in the game’s first run to give the Raiders an early 1–0 lead. 

The momentum continued as Keegan Holmstrom singled to right, bringing home two more runs to extend the lead to 3–0. Moments later, Patrick Fultz laid down a bunt and grounded out to third, allowing another run to score and pushing the advantage to 4–0. 

After five scoreless innings, Wright State struck again in the seventh. Duncan reached on an infield single to third, and JP Peltier drew a full‑count walk. Holmstrom followed with a single through the right side, plating another run to make it 5–0. 

In the eighth, Warren worked a 3–2 walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Blomquist grounded out to second, moving Warren to third, and he later scored on a passed ball to extend the Raiders’ lead to 6–0. 

Northern Kentucky made one final push in the ninth. Pierce Bauerle was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Marcus Harrison then singled to center, bringing home Bauerle to break up the shutout and cut the deficit to 6–1. But that would be all for the Norse, as Wright State closed out the win to complete the series’ sweep. 

The Norse recorded only three hits, while Wright State finished with nine. 

With the loss, Northern Kentucky falls to 13–17 overall and 6–6 in Horizon League play. 

The Norse will now travel to Knoxville, Tennessee, for a midweek matchup against the Tennessee Volunteers on Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. on ESPN+. 

---

Enjoyed this article? Help keep HoriZone Roundtable going.

👉 Donate here: https://horizoneroundtable.com/donate

👉 Join us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/horizoneroundtable