By: by Jason Hanes
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Bryan Blough went six solid innings, allowing just three runs as the Kennesaw State baseball game won its third straight game with a, 10-5, victory over Binghamton Sunday afternoon at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The Owls scored two unearned runs to start the scoring in the bottom of the first. Sean McClurken reached on a Bearcat error, then scored on a double two batters later by Josh Whitaker. Two batters later, Ronnie Freeman continued his solid weekend with an RBI single to left, plating Whitaker.
Blough's (1-1) only hiccup came in the second inning, when Binghamton scored three times, but the Owls answered back with a pair in the bottom of the third. Two out hitting proved to be the key, as Freeman and Clint Roques each had RBI singles with two men out to plate both runs.
The Owls (4-7) kept their foot on the accelerator in the fourth, putting three more runs on the board. Again, the Owls did their damage with two men out. After McClurken and Tyler Stubblefield reached due to a walk and a hit by pitch, respectively, Whitaker singled into center, scoring McClurken to put KSU up 5-3. With men on the corners, a wild pitch brought Stubblefield home from third for KSU's second run of the inning. Drew Fowlkes finished the KSU scoring with a single to right, scoring Whitaker. to put KSU up 7-3.
KSU tacked on another run in the fifth as Bucky Smith's sacrifice fly to right brought home Roques. The Owls came through again with two men out in the sixth, as Fowlkes connected on his third home run of the year, a two-run blast over the right field wall, making the score 10-3.
Jeff Brown earned his first save with the Owls, pitching three innings in relief of Blough and allowing just two ninth inning runs to the Bearcats (1-6). Blough gave up 10 hits and three runs in his six innings, but Blough and Brown were the recipients of two double plays by the KSU defense.
KSU will be back in action at 4 p.m. today, closing out their time in Knoxville as they take on the host Tennessee Volunteers. The Owls earned a 4-2 win over Tennessee in the first meeting between the two schools yesterday.
