Northern Kentucky Swept by USC Upstate in Two‑Game Series 

Fresh off a dramatic 12–11 walk‑off win over Elon in the 10th inning, the Northern Kentucky Norse continued their South Carolina road trip with a two‑game set against USC Upstate, but were swept, falling 8–7 in Game One and 10–9 in Game Two. 

Game 1

Northern Kentucky opened the first inning with a bang. Pierce Bauerle launched a solo home run to left to give the Norse an early 1–0 lead. Josh Williams walked on a 3–2 count and stole second; Marcus Harrison drew a 3–0 walk, and Ethan Thomas delivered a three‑run homer to left to make it 4–0. The inning wasn’t done yet—Landon Springmeyer added a solo shot to right‑center, stretching the lead to 5–0. 

In the fourth, Springmeyer struck again with his second solo home run of the day, pushing the advantage to 6–0. 

The home‑run parade continued in the fifth when Jake Paulick sent a solo shot to right, extending NKU’s lead to 7–0. 

USC Upstate answered in the bottom half. Wylie Waters walked, Alex Ritzer reached on a fielder’s choice, and Henry Zenor doubled to right‑center. Malony Heaghney singled through the left side to bring home Ritzer and put the Spartans on the board. After a walk to Tyler Lang and a hit‑by‑pitch to Johnny Sweeney, Trey Bentley cleared the bases with a three‑run double to center, cutting the NKU lead to 7–5. 

The Spartans kept the pressure on in the sixth. Ritzer was hit by a pitch; Zenor singled, and Heaghney reached on an infield single to load the bases. Lang followed with a single to the pitcher, scoring Ritzer and trimming the deficit to 7–6. 

In the eighth, USC Upstate completed the comeback. Zenor walked, and Heaghney doubled to left‑center to tie the game 7–7. After an intentional walk to Sweeney and a fielder’s choice that moved runners up, Jake Armsey was intentionally walked to load the bases. Preston Lucas then drew a four‑pitch walk, bringing home Heaghney and giving the Spartans their first lead of the game, 8–7. 

Northern Kentucky had one final chance in the ninth but came up short as USC Upstate took Game One, 8–7. 

NKU starter Kyle Cortner turned in his best outing of the season, working 3.1 innings with two strikeouts while allowing just one hit. The bullpen, however, surrendered at least one earned run each, with Cody Little taking the loss after giving up two runs across the seventh and eighth innings, dropping to 4–3 on the year. 

Offensively, NKU tallied eight hits and four walks in 34 at‑bats, with five of those hits leaving the yard. Ethan Thomas went 2‑for‑4 with a three‑run homer, while Pierce Bauerle, Jake Paulick, Landon Springmeyer, and Alex Brazer each finished 1‑for‑4 with solo home runs. 

Game 2

It was Senior Day for USC Upstate, and the Spartans struck first. Henry Zenor opened the bottom of the first with a four‑pitch walk and moved to second on a wild pitch. Tyler Lang was hit by a pitch, and Trey Bentley followed with a single to right‑center, scoring Zenor for a 1–0 lead while Lang advanced to third. Jake Armsey then singled through the left side, bringing home Lang to make it 2–0. 

In the second, Northern Kentucky answered. Mark Nowak doubled to left‑center and advanced to third on a throwing error. Braydon Rodgers walked, Hunter Friedberg walked, and during the sequence Nowak stole home to put NKU on the board at 2–1. 

USC Upstate responded quickly. Wylie Waters was hit by a pitch, with Brady Small entering to pinch run. Hunter Zenor doubled to left, scoring Small to push the lead to 3–1. Malony Heaghney followed with another double to left, plating Zenor for a 4–1 advantage. Johnny Sweeney added an RBI single up the middle, extending the Spartans’ lead to 5–1. 

Northern Kentucky opened the third with a spark. Josh Williams launched a solo home run to right‑center to cut the deficit to 5–2. Marcus Harrison was hit by a pitch and stole second, Ethan Thomas walked, and Nowak’s flyout moved Harrison to third. Rodgers then singled to left‑center, scoring Harrison to make it 5–3. 

USC Upstate answered again in the bottom half. Ritzer walked, Zenor singled up the middle, and Heaghney delivered another RBI single to center, scoring Ritzer and pushing the lead to 6–3. 

In the fifth, NKU mounted a major push. Thomas walked, Nowak singled, and Sam Bond reached on a fielder’s choice with Peter Krumins entering to pinch run. Alex Brazer singled to left, scoring both Thomas and Nowak to make it 6–5. Jake Paulick followed with a single through the left side, and on the throw Krumins scored to tie the game 6–6 while Brazer advanced to third. Williams then delivered again, ripping a double down the right‑field line to score both Brazer and Paulick, giving NKU its first lead of the game at 8–6. 

USC Upstate responded with a huge sixth inning. Sweeney and Bentley walked, and Armsey laid down a bunt to move both runners into scoring position. That set the stage for Brady Small, who crushed a three‑run homer to right‑center, flipping the lead back to the Spartans 9–8. Ritzer singled and stole second, and Zenor singled to right‑center to bring him home, extending the lead to 10–8. 

Northern Kentucky went scoreless in the sixth, seventh, and eighth, but made one final push in the ninth. Pierce Bauerle delivered a solo home run to left‑center to cut the deficit to 10–9. However, the Norse could not complete the comeback, as USC Upstate held on for the 10–9 win and completed the two‑game sweep. 

NKU used five pitchers, with MJ Castaneda taking the loss after allowing two runs in 1.2 innings. Ryan Gill allowed two runs across 2.2 innings, while Tannis Lange finished the game with 1.1 perfect frames. 

Offensively, the Norse tallied 13 hits in 40 at‑bats, including five extra‑base hits and seven walks. Josh Williams had a perfect day at the plate, going 5‑for‑5 with three RBI, two doubles, a home run, and a walk. Mark Nowak went 3‑for‑5 with a double, two runs scored, and two stolen bases. Pierce Bauerle added a 2‑for‑4 performance with a solo home run and a walk. 

Northern Kentucky concludes the regular season at 25–28 and now turns its attention to the Horizon League Tournament in Dayton, Ohio. The Norse will face the No. 2 seed Milwaukee Panthers on Thursday, with first pitch set for 11 a.m. on ESPN+.