March 18, 2006

Game 1 Box Score

Game 2 Box Score

FLORENCE, Ky. - Solid pitching by Northern Kentucky lifted the Norse to a 4-2, 14-0 sweep of Lewis in Saturday's Great Lakes Valley Conference baseball doubleheader.

Flyer left-hander Jon Guzzo (0-3) pitched well in the opener. Guzzo allowed four runs, eight hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings but was outdueled by NKU's Matt Marksbury, who struck out five, yielded six hits and did not walk a batter over the seven-inning distance.

Trailing 2-0, Lewis pulled even in the top of the fifth. Tim Bingham led off with a triple and scored when Phil Marchinski followed with a single. One out later, Mike Loprieno (Bloomingdale, Ill./Driscoll)'s double put runners at second and third, and Marchinski scored on Jim Gabriel (Orland Park, Ill./Providence)'s single.

NKU countered with single runs in the fifth and sixth. Marchinski's one-out single in the seventh brought the potential tying run to the plate, but Marksbury (1-1) fanned the next two hitters to preserve the win.

Gabriel also had a triple and a stolen base for the Flyers, who turned a pair of double plays.

Brian Beltz (2-1) and two NKU relievers gave just one hit - Bingham's second-inning single - and two walks in the nightcap. Beltz struck out six and walked one in seven innings. Matt Rolle (0-2) took the loss, while Adam Stabosz allowed just a hit in 1 2/3 relief innings.

Lewis fell to 1-13 overall and 0-6 in the GLVC, while NKU improved to 9-8-1 overall and 7-4-1 in the conference. The teams meet in another doubleheader on Sunday.