Northern Kentucky’s 2026 season came to a close Thursday afternoon, as the Norse fell 5–3 to Oakland in an elimination game at the Horizon League Tournament. The loss followed a difficult 14–2 defeat to Milwaukee earlier in the day, leaving NKU fighting to extend its postseason run but ultimately unable to overcome early defensive miscues and missed offensive opportunities.
After two scoreless innings, Oakland broke through in the third. Ben Clark singled up the middle, Kyle Revere worked a full‑count walk, and Lucus Day delivered a single to right‑center to score Clark and give the Golden Grizzlies a 1–0 lead. Oakland added three more in the fourth, beginning with a fielding error that allowed Carter Hain to reach. Jack Lux followed with a single through the right side, and Tony Konopiots reached on a fielder’s choice that brought home Hain for an unearned run. Boston Halloran then singled to right to score Lux, and a wild pitch moments later allowed Konopiots to cross the plate, stretching the lead to 4–0.
Northern Kentucky responded in the bottom of the fifth with its strongest offensive push of the afternoon. Horizon League Player of the Year Jake Paulick opened the inning with a single to center, followed by walks to Marcus Harrison and Jackson Wang to load the bases. Landon Springmeyer drew a full‑count walk to bring home Paulick, putting NKU on the board. Mark Nowak followed with another walk to score Harrison, and Alex Brazer added a fourth walk of the inning to plate Wang, trimming the deficit to 4–3. Despite the momentum, the Norse were unable to find the timely hit needed to complete the comeback.
Oakland added a key insurance run in the eighth when Konopiots singled, stole second, and scored on Aiden Schuck’s single through the right side, pushing the lead to 5–3. Northern Kentucky threatened in the late innings but couldn’t break through, finishing just 3‑for‑29 at the plate while drawing 10 walks and stranding 11 runners. The Norse did not record an extra‑base hit. Jackson Wang led the Norse with a 1‑for‑3 performance that included a walk and a run scored.
NKU’s pitching staff turned in a strong effort despite the loss. Starter Logan Wilson allowed only one earned run across four innings, giving up five hits and striking out five. Cody Little followed with 3.1 innings of one‑run relief, and Gabe Stout closed the game with 1.2 scoreless, hitless frames.
Northern Kentucky concludes the 2026 season with a 25–30 overall record and a 12–12 finish in Horizon League play.
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