April 5, 2008
Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
KENNESAW, Ga.--A three-hour rain delay to start the day proved to be well worth it as Kennesaw State swept a doubleheader from East Tennessee State at Stillwell Stadium. Jay Morrow had three RBI's to lift the Owls to a, 7-6, win in game one, while Andrew Martin's walk-off single in the 11th gave KSU a, 6-5, win in the nightcap.
"It was a long day, but anytime you win two games, you have to be excited," said KSU head coach Mike Sansing. "Overall our pitchers kept the games close and we didn't give up the big innings that gave us a chance to win."
The Owls (14-16, 8-6 A-Sun) pushed four runs across the plate in the first three innings of game one to take a 4-0 lead. Morrow and Drew Fowlkes each had RBI hits in the first and third, with Jacob Robbins driving in a pair on a deep single to left in the second.
The Bucs (6-23, 6-11 A-Sun) scored a pair in the fourth and fifth innings to even the score. Anthony Russell homered in each innings to drive in three of the runs on his own.
The Black and Gold put up the decisive three-spot in the seventh inning. Morrow singled to right with the bases loaded to bring in Robbins and Tyler Stubblefield, giving KSU the 6-4 advantage. One batter later, Jace Whitmer doubled to right, bringing in Ric Bishop with what proved to be the winning run.
Michael Bohana (1-2) gave up two runs to the charging Bucs in the ninth but held on to earn the victory. Bohana pitched three innings in relief of Kyle Heckathorn, who went six solid innings for the Owls in the start.
Brandon Langston (2-5) was saddled with the loss, allowing all seven runs on nine hits.
In the second game, the two teams battled into extra innings before the Owls finally got the win.
In the decisive inning, Morrow started with a single through the left side. Whitmer bunted Morrow into scoring position, and with one out Fowlkes was walked intentionally.
On an 0-1 offering from Ben Andrews, Martin turned on a pitch and lined a single over the leaping shortstop into left center field. Morrow raced home from second with the winning run to give the Owls the sweep.
KSU led 3-0 after one inning of play thanks to a two-run double by Morrow and a single by Whitmer. ETSU scored a pair in the third but the Owls answered with a run of their own on a run-scoring fielder's choice by Fowlkes. ETSU answered again with a run in the fourth, but KSU put up a single run in the fith on a Whitmer blast over the wall in left for a solo homer.
The score remained the same until the eighth when ETSU knotted the game at 5-all. The teams battled into extra frames, with both teams getting runners on base in the 10th. It wasn't until Martin's single that the Owls could celebrate the end of a long day.
Kenny Faulk earned the win for the Owls with 1.1 innings of relief, striking out two batters. Starting hurler Chad Jenkins retired 11 Bucs batters via strikeout in his six innings of work.
The two teams will be back in action tomorrow in the finale of the three-game series. With tonight's second game lasting until nearly 11:00 p.m., the two teams will now play at 1:00 p.m. instead of the originally scheduled Noon.
