THE BASICS
Records: Kennesaw State (15-18), Georgia Southern (21-12)
Score: Kennesaw State 4, Georgia Southern 8
Starting Pitching Matchup: RHP Zach Cowart vs. LHP Nathan Dupree
Key Players: Griffin Helms (1-for-4, two RBI);
David Chabut (1-for-4, two RBI);
Jeremy Howell (2-for-4);
Chris Erwin (2-for-4);
Jake Franklin (2-for-4)
Box Score (PDF) |
Box Score (XML)
THE STORYLINE:
· Kennesaw State trailed by as many as three runs entering the final three frames and pulled within one, but host Georgia Southern held off the Owls Tuesday night, taking the non-conference tilt at J.I Clements Stadium by an 8-4 final.
· Junior catcher
Griffin Helms and sophomore shortstop
David Chabut accounted for all four runs batted in on the night, but a pair of three-run frames for the Eagles proved costly to out-weight the Owls' comeback effort.
· With the loss, Kennesaw State dropped to 15-18 overall while Georgia Southern improved to 21-12 on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
· KSU totaled at least one hit in seven of its nine at-bats, scattering 11 hits with a pair of doubles and a home run, as Helms (1-for-4, two RBI) and Chabut (1-for-4, two RBI) pushed across all four runs.
· Chabut, a Loganville, Ga., native, jumpstarted the Owls' offense with a one-out double that scored
Terence Norman and
Austin Upshaw to take a 2-1 lead.
· The two runs remained true as Georgia Southern pitching tossed goose eggs over the next four innings until Helms, a Norcross, Ga., native, hit his fourth home run of the season, driving in two to pull KSU within 5-4 in the seventh frame.
·However, Georgia Southern plated three runs in the second and eighth innings to out-weight the duo's efforts and earn a hard-fought 8-4 win.
· The bullpen staff of
Jordan Krueger,
Brian Exley and
Turner Watkins allowed no runs on just two hits in a combined 5.1 innings for Kennesaw State, allowing the Black and Gold to fight back within one.
· Offensively, the Owls had eight players record at least a hit in the ballgame with Helms and Chabut leading the way.
Jeremy Howell (2-for-4),
Chris Erwin (2-or-4), and
Jake Franklin also played key roles at the plate Tuesday.
#NESTNOTES:
·
Taylor Allum walked in the fifth frame, extending his streak to 27 straight games of reaching base safely. The KSU D-I record is 36 games by Max Pentecost in 2014.
· Kennesaw State totaled 10 or more hits in a ballgame for the 20
th time in 33 contests this season Sunday afternoon.
UP NEXT
Kennesaw State treks to Deland, Fla., for an ASUN clash with Stetson over the weekend. The Owls and Hatters begin their three-game series on Thursday, April 13 at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN3.
