With one on and one out, junior Pierce Bauerle settled into the box with a chance to claim the series opener against Eastern Illinois.
Bauerle, who transferred from EIU just this last year, had batted .247 in 2025 and hoped that a change of scenery would kickstart his career. Both teams got on the board in the first, but were held scoreless after that. Good pitching extended the game into extra innings, where the stage was set for the ex-Panther to make a statement against his former team.
He connected on the first pitch, sending the ball soaring towards right-center field. Centerfielder Quade Peters tracked it, but was too late, watching it fly over the wall. NKU won 3-1, extending their win streak to five games.
After starting the season 4-4, the Norse rode into their matchup with the Panthers fresh, coming off a 21-6 blowout win over Morehead State. EIU sat at 4-3, but had a sour taste in their mouths after dropping the last two games on the road against Arkansas State.
Game One
In game one, the Panthers jumped out to an early lead, with Brett Stanley’s triple setting the table for James Love to bring him around on an RBI groundout, making it 1-0 after the first.
In the bottom of the inning, NKU erased the one-run deficit, capitalizing on EIU starter Tyler Conkin’s lack of command. After back-to-back walks, junior Josh Williams muscled a line-drive single into right field, scoring sophomore Mark Nowark from second, evening the score at one a piece.
After that explosive first inning, both starters settled in. Panthers’ Conklin delivered six strong innings, allowing just three hits, while Norse pitcher Logan Wilson held EIU to two hits over 4.2 innings.
The game remained deadlocked until the 10th, when EIU transfer Pierce Bauerle came through in dramatic fashion. On the first pitch he saw, Bauerle launched a walk-off two-run homer, sending NKU fans home cheering. Bauerle, who played in 29 games for the Panthers last season without hitting a single home run, has now already surpassed that mark just nine games into his NKU career.
Game Two
In game two, the Norse had a short leach with graduate student EJ Miramontes, who pitched 3.2 innings, giving up one run on three hits. The rest of the bullpen struggled, with three pitchers giving up six runs across 3.1 innings of work. EIU led 7-1 halfway through inning number six.
With NKU trailing by six, sophomore Alex Brazer came through with a clutch double down the left-field line, plating a pair. His timely hit sparked the offense, giving the team a chance to settle in and string together quality at-bats to fight back into the game.
In the seventh, the Norse rallied to score three more runs, cutting the lead to a mere one run. In the eighth, a lead-off single by Brazer and a hit-by-pitch by Jake Altman gave Bauerle, the game one hero, a chance for seconds.
Bauerle singled over the shortstop’s head, plating two runs that gave NKU the lead after trailing by seven runs just three innings prior.
Despite an EIU effort in the ninth, the Norse completed the comeback and held on to win 8-7. Junior Jared Teke recorded the save and clinched the series over the Panthers with one game left to play.
Game Three
In game three, both teams scored at will, combining for 35 total runs in the game. NKU had five players record multi-hit days, while EIU had three.
In every inning besides one, at least one of the two scored, with the Norse putting up six runs in the fourth, and the Panthers putting up seven in the eighth.
With that seven-run inning, EIU came storming back after being down 16-7, shaving NKU’s lead to just one.
The Norse stayed confident at the plate, adding four crucial insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth, making a Panther comeback a tall task.
Traffic on the base-paths was inevitable, but the NKU defense limited balls put in play, recording three put-outs to set the brooms in motion.
The Norse’ confidence continues to grow as they swept Eastern Illinois on route to their fifth-consecutive victory. With conference play looming ahead, NKU looks to make a statement on the road against Indiana March 3 and Florida State March 6-8.