NKyTribune staff
DAYTON, Ohio — Milwaukee scored five times in the fourth inning and tacked on another six runs in the fifth en route to a 13-1 victory over Northern Kentucky University on Wednesday in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament.
Mitch Buban went 4-for-5 and scored three runs for third-seeded Milwaukee, which improved to 25-26. Tyler Bordner was 3-for-4 and drove in a pair of runs as the Panthers sent NKU to its seventh consecutive defeat.
Leading 2-0 in the fourth inning and with the bases loaded, Colin Kreiter hit a rocket over the center fielder’s head to clear the bases and extend the Milwaukee advantage to 5-0. The Panthers added six more runs in the fifth inning, which was highlighted by Buban’s two-run single.
NKU, which finished the season with a 14-39 record, committed four errors against Milwaukee. Will Haueter was 2-for-4 with an RBI to lead the sixth-seeded Norse.
Haueter ended the season by reaching base in 32 consecutive contests. He also has 46 doubles in his career, which puts him in a tie for fifth place in the NKU record book with Keith Jackson, who played for the Norse from 2002-05.
The NKU pitching staff allowed at least 10 runs in each of the Norse’s final eight games. During that span, NKU went 1-7 with the lone victory being a 16-13 triumph against Youngstown State on May 11.
TMC PLAYERS HONORED: Thomas More College junior catcher Sam Hauer, senior second baseman Ben Laumann and junior first baseman Sean Lawrence have been named Division III All-Mideast Region.
Hauer batted .380 with six home runs, 14 doubles, 45 RBI and 31 runs scored this season. Hauer had a .427 on-base percentage and a .567 slugging percentage.
Laumann batted .339 with seven home runs, four triples, 16 doubles, 36 RBI and 56 runs scored. He was also 17-of-19 in stolen base attempts and had a .593 slugging percentage.
Lawrence led the team in batting with a .399 average. He also clubbed eight home runs, four triples, 16 doubles and added 44 RBI and 42 runs scored. Lawrence had a .676 slugging percentage and a .451 on-base percentage.
Thomas More won its fifth Presidents’ Athletic Conference Tournament championship and posted its 22nd consecutive winning season during the 2018 campaign. The Saints also advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the eighth time in program history.
