Roberts, Doersching launch back-to-back homers, NKU holds off Oakland to win weekend series

NKyTribune staff

Chad Roberts hit a three-run homer and scored twice as the Northern Kentucky University baseball team posted a 9-6 win at Oakland on Sunday.

Griffin Doersching also homered for the Norse, who took the rubber game of the weekend series and improved to 12-29 overall. Nolan Rattai went 3-for-4 as NKU upped its Horizon League record to 7-14.

NKU built a 5-0 lead going into the bottom of third, but Oakland rallied by plating three runs. In the top of the fourth, Roberts slammed a three-run homer to extend the Norse advantage to 8-3. Doersching followed with a solo shot to make to 9-3, and NKU held off a late Oakland rally to win for the second time in three days.

Roberts, a senior from Wilmington, Ohio, now has a team-leading 10 home runs this spring. He has also driven in a team-best 38 runs in 2018. It marked the ninth homer of the season for Doersching, a freshman from Greendale, Wisconsin.

NKU collected 14 hits, while Oakland finished with nine. The Golden Grizzlies (12-27 overall, 9-11 Horizon League) committed four errors that led to three unearned runs.

Sam Williams started on the mound and went five innings to record the win, allowing five runs (two earned) on seven hits. Norse reliever Joe Martin notched the save by retiring the final Oakland batter.

NKU hosts Eastern Kentucky at 3 p.m. Tuesday in a non-conference game at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex.

TMC SWEEPS HANOVER: The Thomas More College baseball team swept Hanover on Sunday in a non-conference doubleheader at Crestview Hills. The Saints won the opener by a 12-5 score, and then completed the sweep in the nightcap with an 11-1 victory in six innings.

Thomas More improved to 18-16 with the two victories, while Hanover dropped to 8-24.

Ben Laumann was 3-for-4, scored twice and added two runs batted in to lead Thomas More in the opener. Tyler Smith went 2-for-3 with a double and four RBI in the nightcap for the Saints.

Thomas More returns to action on Tuesday when it hosts in-state rival Spalding at 4 p.m.