Feb. 28, 2008
Box Score
KENNESAW, Ga.---Freshman Drew Fowlkes drove in the go-ahead runs in the fifth inning and hit a game-clinching grand slam in the eighth to lead Kennesaw State to a 10-2 victory over Stetson in the rubber game of a three-game Atlantic Sun Conference series between the top two teams in the league's preseason poll.
Fowlkes reached on an error on two occasions before the fifth inning. With the bases loaded and one man out, Fowlkes ripped a first-pitch single up the middle for a base hit, scoring Jace Whitmer and Ric Bishop to put KSU ahead, 4-2.
The Owls scored a run in the seventh on a single by Andrew Martin to make it 5-2. KSU kept the pressure on the Hatters in the eighth, loading the bases again for Jay Morrow. Facing a 1-1 pitch, Morrow was hit in the shoulder, forcing in a run to put KSU ahead, 6-2.
That set the stage for Fowlkes' heroics. The Carrollton, Ga., native took the first pitch he saw from Robbie Elsemiller for a shot over the wall in right, giving KSU an insurmountable 10-2 lead.
"I was just trying to put the ball in play," said Fowlkes. "I got a first pitch fastball and dropped the head of the bat on the ball."
"It's a huge win for us," said KSU head coach Mike Sansing. "We're all about trying to win the conference. It was big for us to be in position to try and win the series. It was even bigger for us to win this game."
The game stayed scoreless until the top of the third when Stetson put its first run on the board. A one-out single by Casey Frawley brought home the first run of the game to make the score 1-0.
KSU came back with a run of its own in the home half of the frame. Curtis Van Wyck singled back up the middle to score Andrew Martin and even the score, 1-1.
Stetson took the lead again in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Josh Clendenin. The score stayed the same until the fifth inning when the Owls exploded for three runs. With runners on first and second, a single back through the box by Jace Whitmer brought home Van Wyck with KSU's first run of the frame. A hit batsman by the Hatters would load the bases to set up Fowlkes' early heroics.
Justin Edwards and Bubba Blalock were stellar on the mound for the Owls in the victory. Edwards (2-0) went 5.1 innings, giving up just two runs on four hits with a pair of walks and six strikeouts. Blalock was just as solid, going 3.2 innings and allowing four hits and striking out four for his first save of the season.
Jake Hitchcock was saddled with the loss for the Hatters. Hitchcock went 4.1 innings and allowed four runs on seven hits. Justin Dechert allowed the seventh inning run to the Owls, while Robbie Elsemiller gave up five to the Owls in the eighth.
The Owls will be back in action tomorrow in Dothan, Ala., at the Screentech Wiregrass Classic. The Black and Gold will take on Wake Forest at 2:00 p.m.
