Box Score
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Tyler Romanik hit a home run and drove in four runs to help Eastern Kentucky beat Northern Kentucky, 12-9, on Tuesday. It is the Colonels' ninth win in their last 10 games.
EKU is tied for second place in the OVC standings. The Colonels will host rival Murray State University for a three-game OVC series this weekend at Earle Combs Stadium. Friday's series-opener is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.
Eastern (25-21) used a six-run top of the third inning to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 7-2 lead. The Colonels never trailed again. All six runs were scored with two outs in the inning.
Romanik got it started with a 2-run home run over the wall in left center to put the visitors in front 3-2. After back-to-back singles by
Nick Howie and
Chris Botsoe to keep the inning going,
Daniel McFarland brought home a run with a single through the right side. Two batters later, with runners at second and third,
Cornell Nixon singled to center field to plate two more runs and cap the scoring in the third.
Four more runs in the top of the fourth inning allowed Eastern Kentucky to push its lead to 11-3. Romanik and McFarland each drove in another run in the inning.
Romanik finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored to go along with his three RBIs.
Ryland Kerr was 4-for-6 and scored three times. The bottom three hitters in the order –
Daniel McFarland,
Daniel Harris IV and Nixon – combined to drive in six runs.
Reigning national player of the week
Alex Holderbach had three hits in five at bats and scored a run.
Four runs by the Norse in the bottom of the seventh allowed the home team to close the gap to two, 11-9, but NKU (12-30) never got any closer.
After Northern Kentucky closed the gap to two,
Andrew McWhorter came on in relief with one out and the tying run at the plate. He got a double play to end the inning and did not allow a base runner the rest of the game. McWhorter struck out two of the three batters that came to the plate in the ninth and earned his first save of the season.
