Highland Heights, Ky. -- The Youngstown State baseball team dropped a 23-4 decision to Northern Kentucky on Saturday afternoon in the Horizon League series and regular season finale at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex.

The Norse plated a single run in the bottom of the first inning before the Penguins took a brief 2-1 lead with a pair of runs in the top of the second. NKU erupted for an 11-run second inning to grab control while adding multiple runs in each of the next four frames to complete the three-game series sweep.

Eli Brown went 2-for-4 with a double and a two-run home run while Garrett Cutting finished 2-for-3 with a two-run double as the Penguins were bested in the hit column, 19-8.

YSU starter Nolan Kubilus, the first of eight Penguins to appear on the mound, suffered the loss after allowing six runs, four of which were earned, on three hits and three walks over 1.1 innings.

Northern Kentucky took an early 1-0 lead with a single tally in the home half of the first inning. Marcus Harrison walked and came around to score on a passed ball to put the Norse in front.

Youngstown State responded with a pair of runs in the top of the second to take a 2-1 edge. Jay Wrona and Nic Goodwin each singled and scored on Cutting's two-out, two-run double down the left field line.

NKU proceeded to score the next 17 runs of the contest with 11 runs in the second, four in the third and two in the fourth to build an 18-2 advantage.

YSU's final runs of the day came on Brown's two-run homer in the top of the fifth after Brady Shannon drew a one-out walk.

The Norse tacked on three runs in the fifth and two in the sixth for the final margin.

NKU starter Evan Fry was awarded the win after allowing two runs on five hits with five strikeouts over three innings on the mound. Six different relievers combined to surrender two runs on three hits over the final four frames.

Josh Williams went 3-for-4 with a triple, two home runs, five RBIs and three runs scored while Tyler Shaneyfelt had a game-high four hits to help pace the Norse offensively.

Youngstown State will now turn its attention to the 2025 Horizon League Baseball Championship, which is scheduled to begin on Wednesday at Nischwitz Stadium in Dayton, Ohio. YSU's opponent and first-round game time will be announced by the Horizon League later this weekend.