Logen Devenport stepped up to the plate in the top of the eighth with a two-two count. Kentucky’s pitcher Zak Spurrier cocks his arm back throwing 93 mile fastball right down the center of the plate, Davenport winded up hitting a line drive to right field and Brennan Rowe, who was on third came home for the score making the game 3-1.
But, the play didn’t stop there, as Tyler Shaneyfelt rounded second running full speed to third base, Wildcats’ shortstop Tyler Bell ran right into the baseline, crashing into Shaneyfelt.
Shaneyfelt would attempt to make it to third, but after getting stuck in a pickle, he was called out.
This sparked a review of the play, the Southeastern Conference umpires would talk over this play for multiple minutes. They came to the conclusion that Shaneyfelt was out and there was no interference on the play.
This miss call would affect the Norse for the rest of the game as Coach Dizzy Peyton would get thrown out of the game the next play.
The Wildcats would send the Norse packing as they put the hammer down in the last two innings, winning 6-1. After this loss, NKU moves to 27-23, while the Wildcats move to 29-20.
Shaneyfelt was the leader for the Norse, he got two hits on the day with five at bats. He had a chance to cut into the lead in the top of the ninth with the bases loaded, but fell short.
Kentucky was ready for center fielder Devenport, he only recorded one hit in the game and one RBI with four appearances at the plate.
Nolan Sparks protected left field, multiple hits came his way, putting out nine batters. He only missed one ball, which was a homer by Kentucky’s catcher Ryan Schwartz. On the hitting side, it was a rough one for
Sparks, with three at-bats, he didn’t record a single hit.
NKU recorded only six hits, a single RBI and five walks on the day. But the defense by the Norse kept it close until the end.
NKU played seven different pitchers, with Noah Sackenheim playing the most innings (two). He faced eight batters, striking out three and only giving up one hit. He was credited with the loss.
Kentucky found their rhythm in the bottom of the eighth, closing out the game. The Norse held them to only six hits, but they gave up a home run, five walks, and six runs.
The Wildcats also put in multiple pitchers with eight.
Scott Rouse was the highlight for Kentucky; he pitched five innings, facing 18 batters, striking out seven of them. Rouse only gave up two hits and one walk, not letting the Norse score a single run in those five innings.
NKU’s ship is set to sail back home. They have a three-game series against Youngstown State to close out their season. The first game of the series is slated to be played on Thursday at 3 p.m.