MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Northern Kentucky hit four home runs and the Milwaukee baseball team left 14 runners on as the Panthers fell 9-4 on Friday night.
 
"When you do damage like that with guys on base, it is tough to come back from," head coach Scott Doffek said. "We had bases loaded a few times but have to give their guy credit. He made some big pitches at the right time and did a nice job."
 
The Norse got to starter Riley Frey early with three two-run homers in the first five innings including two from the Horizon League leader Griffin Doersching.
 
The Panthers had opportunities but left seven runners on in the first five innings and trailed 7-0 through five.
 
Cherokee LeBeau got the Panthers on the board as he singled in Joe Vyskocil in the sixth, but another two-run shot from NKU put the visitors up 9-1.
 
Ryan Hoerter came on and was strong in relief, striking out a season-high six and walking none in 4.2 innings.
 
"It was a solid outing for Ryan," Doffek said. "He gave up a two-out hit and that home run but overall, he threw the ball well."
 
Milwaukee rallied late with a solo home run from Nate DeYoung in the eighth and two scores in the ninth, but NKU's Kaleb Meeks got LeBeau looking to end the threat with the bases loaded.
 
The Panthers totaled 15 hits on the day with six different players recording at least two.
 
Milwaukee and Northern Kentucky will meet for a doubleheader tomorrow, May 15, with first pitch scheduled for 1:00 pm. Live coverage links for both games can be found on MKEPanthers.com.