Feb. 28, 2009
Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
KENNESAW, Ga. - In a doubleheader that featured 40 runs scored, Jace Whitmer hit three home runs as Kennesaw State rallied for a run in the bottom of the eighth inning of game two to defeat Campbell 9-8 in game two of an Atlantic Sun Conference doubleheader on Saturday at Stillwell Stadium. Campbell scored a run in the top of the ninth in game one to come away with a 12-11 win.
Both games featured big rallies, but in both games, the team that did the rallying came up on the short end. In game one, the Owls trailed Campbell 8-1 before rallying to tie the game twice. In game two, Campbell trailed KSU 8-2 before rallying to tie in the eighth inning.
After Campbell rallied to tie game two, the Owls took advantage of a Campbell error to take the lead. Drew Fowlkes reached on a three-base error to start the inning. With Andrew Martin pinch running for Fowlkes, Jon White doubled to right to score what would prove to be the game-winning run.
Campbell would threaten in the ninth, but Justin Edwards shut the door to earn the victory to improve to 1-1.
In game one, the Owls stormed back with seven runs in the sixth inning after Campbell had scored eight runs - four unearned - off of KSU starter Kyle Heckathorn. The Owls had five hits in the inning, including RBI hits by Josh Whitaker, White, Jace Whimer, and Martin Baker, with Baker's hit tying the game.
The teams traded 3-spots in the seventh, as the Camels put together three hits, a hit batsman, a walk, and a sac fly to score three times, while Whitaker and Whitmer hit back-to-back homers to tie the score at 11-all.
Chris Bangi led off the ninth inning with a homer for Campbell off of Kenny Faulk (0-1) in what proved to be the difference in the 12-11 contest.
In game two, the Owls took advantage of a Campbell error to score two runs in the first. After a Campbell score in the top of the second, the Owls came back with three runs as Whitmer hit his second homer of the day and Bucky Smith and Robbins each scored on wild pitches.
After the Camels cut into the lead in the top of the third, Whitmer connected for his second homer in as many innings and third of the day with a blast out to left center. The Owls pushed two more runs across in the fourth to open up an 8-2 lead.
Campbell would come back with five unearned runs against KSU starter Chad Jenkins as the Owls committed a pair of two-out errors to keep Campbell's inning alive. Campbell would tie the game in the eighth, setting the stage for KSU's late-inning heroics.
Josh Fish (1-1) took the loss for Campbell in game two, while Johnathon Lopez won game one for the Camels (1-0).
The Owls (2-4, 1-1) committed 10 errors on the day, leading to 10 unearned runs scored by the Camels (6-1, 1-1). With the teams playing in horrible weather, it was only fitting that KSU's final run of the day was due in large part to Campbell's third error of the day.
The two teams will wrap up their A-Sun series on Monday afternoon at 1:00 p.m.
