HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The first in a three-game set between two of the top-three teams in the Horizon League standings, the Northern Kentucky Norse defeated the Oakland Golden Grizzlies, 11-5, on Friday, April 14 at Friendship Field at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex.

Now needing victories on both Saturday and Sunday to win their fourth Horizon League series in five tries this season, Oakland falls to 14-19 (7-6), while the Norse improve to 19-13 (9-4).

Two games back of Northern Kentucky, the Golden Grizzlies are now in third place in the conference standings, with the Wright State Raiders (18-16, 8-5) between the two.

Suffering his first loss of the year and serving as the fourth and final Oakland pitcher of the afternoon, sophomore right-hander Brandon Nigh, who began the contest at third base, allowed seven runs on four hits and three walks after entering one batter into an eight-run eighth inning for the Norse.

Making his seventh start of the season and turning an another impressive performance, sophomore righty Hunter Pidek gave up just one run over his 5.2 innings, holding Northern Kentucky to four hits and striking out two while not walking a batter and throwing 59 of his 88 pitches for strikes.

Junior Brandon Decker and graduate student Christian Stelling, a righty and lefty, respectively, also saw action out of the Golden Grizzly bullpen, bridging the gap between Pidek and Nigh.

With Pidek and Liberty Township, Ohio junior Norse right-hander Clay Brock both sharp in the early innings, the first run Friday was not scored until the sixth when Mason, Ohio junior first baseman Liam McFadden-Ackman doubled home Fort Wayne, Indiana redshirt senior right fielder Treyvin Moss to put Northern Kentucky up 1-0.

Oakland took the lead for the first time, 2-1, with a couple of runs off singles in the seventh, the first off the bat of sophomore designated hitter Kevin Krill and the second courtesy of junior catcher Brandon Heidal.

Following a two-run single by Moss in the Norse half of the seventh, the Golden Grizzlies went up by two runs, 5-3, with a three-spot in the eighth.

Redshirt sophomore center fielder Drew Collins hit his sixth home run, tying him with redshirt senior shortstop Thomas Green for the team lead, and graduate student second baseman Jared Miller plated senior right fielder Ian Cleary and graduate student first baseman Gabe Lux with a single to left, making him the third Oakland player with 20 RBI this year.

Featuring the rare two-home run inning by Wapakoneta, Ohio senior third baseman Manny Vorhees, Northern Kentucky swung the tilt back in their favor for good in the bottom of eighth, sending a total of 11 men to the plate and tallying five hits in the frame.

Recording the final five outs in relief for the Norse, Solon, Ohio graduate student Casey Maniglia picked up the win, moving him to 2-0.

UP NEXT
In Game 2 of this weekend series, these two clubs will square off again on Saturday, April 15 at 1 p.m. in what will be Bark in the Park Day for Northern Kentucky, encouraging fans to bring their dogs to the game.

Senior left-hander Travis Densmore (3-3, 6.10 ERA, 38.1 IP) will start for the Golden Grizzlies.