HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. (Interstat) — Josh Williams launched three home runs and drove in six as the Northern Kentucky Norse erupted for a 21-6 victory over the Morehead State Eagles in a non-conference baseball game Wednesday at Bill Aker Baseball Complex.

The offensive explosion, which featured 15 Norse hits, starkly defied pregame projections. Interstat’s game simulator had predicted a tight 5-4 Morehead State win, while its ELO system gave Northern Kentucky only a slight 51.7 percent probability of victory. Instead, the Norse pounded out five total homers to even their season record at 4-4. Morehead State fell to 3-5.

The most important sequence of the game came early, as Northern Kentucky immediately answered a significant Morehead State rally. The Eagles had seized a 6-0 lead in the top of the third inning on a grand slam by Kean, capitalizing on a Northern Kentucky error to score all four runs unearned.

The Norse response in the bottom of the inning was swift and decisive. Trailing 6-8, Williams ignited a four-run outburst with a two-run homer to left field, his second of the game, tying the score at 10-10. After a strikeout, Alex Brazer delivered the decisive blow, hammering a two-run homer down the left-field line to put Northern Kentucky ahead for good at 12-10. That inning transformed the contest, shifting momentum entirely to the home side and setting the stage for a lopsided finish.

Williams, the clear top star, finished 3 for 4 with the three homers, a walk, and six RBIs, continuing a strong stretch after driving in a run in Sunday’s win at Alabama A&M. Brazer was equally formidable, going 3 for 5 with a double, a homer, and a game-high seven RBIs. Jake Paulick added two homers and three RBIs, while Marcus Harrison drove in three runs on two hits.

Northern Kentucky’s bullpen combination of MJ Castaneda, Tannis Lange, Shawn Parnell, and Gannon Wentz provided critical stability after the early offensive shootout. Following Kean’s grand slam in the third, that quartet combined for 4 1/3 innings of relief, allowing just one earned run on four hits while striking out five to stifle any hope of an Eagles comeback.

Morehead State’s Kean led his team with five RBIs on his grand slam and an RBI single. The Eagles managed hits but could not replicate their early-inning success against the Norse relievers.

Northern Kentucky next hosts Eastern Illinois for a three-game series starting Friday. Morehead State travels to face Southern in a three-game set beginning the same day.