By: by Jason Hanes
Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
KENNESAW, Ga. - Strong starting pitching and timely hitting proved to be key for Kennesaw State's baseball team as the Owls swept a doubleheader from North Florida, 3-2 and 12-8, at Stillwell Stadium on Saturday afternoon as part of an important Atlantic Sun Conference series.
"In game one, [Ryan Rodebaugh] just pitched extremely well for us. He used a lot of pitches early but he settled in during the middle innings and got through those quickly. Brad Long came in to relieve him and just picked up right where Rodebaugh left off," said KSU head coach Mike Sansing. "In the second game Josh [Carr] threw one of his better games for us. Even when we took him out after a couple of hard hits off of him, I still thought he had some good stuff."
The Owls (16-21, 7-7) fell behind in the first inning of game one after Rodebaugh walked the bases loaded, then walked David Eldridge to bring in a run. An inning later, the Owls knotted the score at 1-1 as Bucky Smith singled through the right side of the infield to plate Drew Fowlkes, who singled to start the inning and reached second on a balk.
KSU took the lead for good in the fifth inning as Ross Tendler led off with a double to the gap in left center, his team-best 13th of the year. Two batters later, Ray Anderson's flare into right center dropped for a base hit, plating Tendler to make the score 2-1. One inning later, the Black and Gold would get a much-needed insurance run as Drew Fowlkes sent the 10th pitch of the at bat from North Florida hurler George Lott (5-1) over the wall in right for a solo home run to put KSU ahead 3-1.
Rodebaugh (3-4) was lifted after throwing 133 pitches over seven innings, but Long rose to the occasion in earning his second save of the season. While the Ospreys (21-16, 9-5) would score an unearned run in the eighth, Long would allow just one base runner to reach in the ninth, striking out two men along the way to preserve the 3-2 win for KSU.
In game two, the Owls used a pair of four-spots to keep the Ospreys at bay. With the score tied, 2-2, in the bottom of the fifth, KSU scored four unearned runs to take a lead it would not relinquish. Smith and Peyton Hart each reached on errors, and after a Hart stolen base, the second wild ptich of the inning uncorked by Michael Kelly (4-5) allowed Smith to race home with the go-ahead run. After a walk to Ronnie Freeman, Fowlkes singled through the left side for his second RBI of the day, giving the Owls a 4-2 cushion. A walk to Clint Roques loaded the bases for Tendler, who delivered with a two-run single to score Hart and Freeman to cap the fifth inning.
The Owls tacked on another run in the sixth when Freeman served an RBI single into left, plating Tyler Stubblefield. In the seventh, four more runs came home for the Owls to help seal the deal. With men on second and third, Sean McClurken singled into left, bringing home both men to put the Owls on top, 9-2. After Stubblefield reached on an infield hit, Hart earned an RBI with a single down the line in left that plated McClurken. Freeman ended the scoring for the Owls in the seventh with a single into left, driving home Stubblefield.
The Ospreys would chase Carr (2-1) in the eighth after back-to-back home runs and a single to left center. Two more runs would come in for the Ospreys, as Michael Smith singled home a pair to cut the KSU advantage to five, 11-6.
In the bottom of the frame, Tendler was hit by a pitch, then moved to second on a ground out by Jordan Craft. McClurken then came through with an RBI single to center as Tendler slid in just out of the reach of UNF catcher Cory Bass who lunged to make the tag. UNF head coach Dusty Rhodes would quickly and vehemently argue the call, earning a speedy ejection from the home plate umpire in the process.
The insurance run would prove to be important as the Ospreys would load the bases against Bryan Blough in the ninth, scoring two against the KSU reliever. Coach Sansing would be forced to bring in closer J.B. Johnson, who allowed one inherited runner to score but struck out two batters to earn his fourth save of the season.
The Owls will close out the series with the Ospreys tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. at Stillwell Stadium. Live audio of the 60th meeting all-time between the two schools will be available via KSUOwls.com.
