May 13, 2007
Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A day after the Owls and the Bruins had the opening game of their three-game series suspended by rain, Belmont broke a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the eight inning to win the first game of the series, 5-3, at Greer Stadium. The Owls came back to snag the second game by a 7-2 score.
The teams were deadlocked in a scoreless tie through three innings when play was suspended with the Owls at-bat, with two runners on-base in the top of the fourth. When the contest resumed on Saturday, the Owls (27-22, 9-13 A-Sun) scored the games first run on a sacrifice fly by Jerome Wooley.
Bubba Blalock, the reigning Atlantic Sun Conference Pitcher of the Week, started the game for the Owls and pitched three innings of two-hit ball before being pulled from the game when it resumed on Saturday.
Cacey Rogers (4-2) took the ball from Blalock and pitched five innings on Saturday, striking out seven batters without walk. However, the left-hander suffered the loss after allowing five runs (three earned) over the final five innings.
Belmont (28-22, 14-9 A-Sun) took the lead with three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. The key hit being a two-run double by Daniel Wagner that put the Bruins ahead, 2-1. Wagner scored on a Brady Manifold single for a two-run Belmont lead.
The Owls tied the game in the top of the seventh inning on a Matt Hopkins sacrifice fly and an errant pick-off attempt. Jacob Robbins walked and advanced to third on an error before a botched pick-off attempt by Jimmy Stanley, with two-outs, scored Robbins with the game-tying run.
After tying the game, Kennesaw State lost the lead in the eighth inning with two unearned runs. Belmont had runners on first and second with two outs before errors by Robbins and Jace Whitmer broke the tie and snapped the Owls three-game winning streak.
Jimmy Stanley (2-1) pitched an inning and a third of scoreless, hitless relief to pick up the win for the Bruins. Stanley retired all four batters he faced and struck out one batter to win his second game of the year. Chris Manning pitched the ninth inning and retired the side in order for his tenth save of the season.
In the regularly scheduled game, Jay Morrow had a double, his first home run of the season and four runs batted in as the Owls pounded out 19 hits against three Bruins pitchers in a, 7-2, win.
Eight of the nine players in the starting lineup had multi-hit games for Kennesaw State as the Owls starter, Dane Dale, raised his record to 4-2 with eight and two-thirds innings of seven-hit work.
Morrow, Adam Cross and Jacob Robbins all had three hits for Kennesaw State while Martin Baker, Jace Whitmer, Jerome Wooley, Matt Dallas and Andrew Martin had two hits apiece as they pounded Belmont starter Carlo Testa for 12 hits over five innings.
Kennesaw scored a run on three hits in the top of the first inning. Morrow's double scored the first run for a 1-0 KSU lead. After Belmont tied the game in the bottom of the first inning, the Owls scored twice in the third on RBI hits by Dallas and Cross.
Morrow made the score 4-1 with an RBI single in the top of the fourth inning and his two-run homer in the top of the sixth inning was enough insurance for the Owls. Kennesaw State and Belmont would exchange runs in the ninth inning for the final margin.
The Owls and the Bruins will close out the series on Sunday afternoon at Greer Stadium. The game is scheduled to start at 12:05 p.m. CST.
