MONTGOMERY, AL – The Alabama State baseball team had a look at a potential four-game sweep, but it wasn't to be as the Hornets dropped the series finale against Northern Kentucky 8-5 at the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex on Sunday afternoon.
 
The Hornets (10-7) had won the first three games of the series and were eying the sweep.
 
ASU carried a 3-1 lead into the sixth inning behind the strength of a couple of RBI hits by Dillon Cooper and a valiant effort by Hornets starting pitcher Hunter McIntosh, who had allowed just one run and struck out seven batters through the first five innings of play.
 
But, it got away from the Hornets as the Norse (5-10) put up a four-run sixth inning to take a 5-3 lead. 
 
Alabama State got into trouble with a couple of walks and a single to left field as the Norse loaded the bases with one out in the inning.
 
Anthony Vagnier laid down a bunt that trickled near the third base line that left ASU unable to field a play as the run scored and cut the lead to 3-2.
 
After ASU reliever Jon Roblez picked up a strikeout, Ivanniel Vazquez entered to pitch and walked in a run to make it 3-3.
 
The third pitching change of the inning put Charles Taylor against Norse batter Ryan LeFevers, who singled in two runs to put NKU on top 5-3.
 
Eriq White cut the lead to 5-4 on a RBI single to plate Chris Biocic in the sixth, but Northern Kentucky was able to tack on a run in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings to extend the lead to 8-4.
 
The Hornets loaded the bases in the ninth and pushed across a run when Cooper was hit by a pitch.
 
With the tying run at first, a ground out to third ended the threat and the game.
 
Leading the Hornets was Carlos Ocasio, who batted 2-for-4 with a double, run scored and a RBI.
 
Ocasio extended his team-leading reached base safely streak to 17 games to open the season. 
 
Cooper went 2-for-4 with three RBI and a double while Biocic and White each collected two more hits on the day.
 
Hornet pitchers combined to strike out 12 more batters and finished with an eye-popping 46 strikeouts for the four-game series. 
 
Up next
The Hornets will continue the home stand as Samford visits Montgomery for a game on Tuesday at 6 p.m. from the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex.
 
Follow live stats here: http://www.sidearmstats.com/alasu/baseball/
 
Admission is free.

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