By: by Jason Hanes
Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
KENNESAW, Ga. - Tyler Stubblefield's walk-off single with two men out in the eighth capped a three-run rally to give the Kennesaw State baseball team a, 6-5, win in extra innings over James Madison in game one of a doubleheader at Stillwell Stadium. In game two, the Owls pounded out a season-high 25 hits and Clint Roques had five RBIs en route to a, 20-9, KSU win.
After home runs in the top of the eighth by Jake Lowery and Brett Garner gave the Dukes (20-18) a 5-3 lead, the Owls were forced to rally against JMU's highly touted closer Kevin Munson. The Owls got off to a good start though, with Brandon Brown walking and Bucky Smith singling into center to put the tying runs on with no one out. After a strike out, Sean McClurken came through with a single back into center field on a 2-2 offering, scoring Brown to pull KSU within one.
One batter later, Ray Anderson tied the score with his second single of the game, bringing in Smith from third to tie the game. After a strike out put the second out on the scoreboard, Stubblefield came up big. The senior ripped a 3-2 slider from Munson over the outstretched glove of Cole McInturff in right center, scoring McClurken from second with the winning run.
"All weekend long, [Munson] was the guy I wanted to face," said Stubblefield. "I saw him once earlier in the game and laid down a sacrifice bunt, but I knew if I could face him again, I could get a hit. I was sitting on his fastball for most of the at bat, but he kept throwing me sliders. Finally before the last pitch, I just stepped out and decided if he threw me the slider, I was going to do something with it. He left it up a little bit, and I was able to punch it into right center."
The eighth marked the second time the Owls came back against Munson. Trailing 3-2 entering the sixth, Josh Whitaker doubled to start the inning. After an infield hit by Ronnie Freeman, Bucky Smith's squeeze bunt worked to perfection, as Whitaker scored the tying run.
The Owls drew first blood in the second as Ross Tendler's sacrifice fly to right scored Whitaker with the first run of the game. JMU came back with two runs in the top of the third to take its first lead of the game. Witht the bases loaded, Matt Tenaglia grounded out to second to plate the first run for the Dukes. One batter later, David Herbeck lifted a sacrifice fly to center, plating the second run of the inning. On the play, the Owls cut off the throw to the plate and tried to get David Herbeck out at third, but the throw bounced off the fence next to the KSU dugout. When it came back to the field quickly, the Owls were able to retire Herbeck at third to end the inning.
The Owls tied the score in the bottom of the third as a one-out double off the wall in center by Stubblefield plated Peyton Hart, making the score 2-2. JMU took the lead in the fourth on a towering home run to dead center by Matt Browning.
Brad Long (3-3) earned the win for KSU in relief, giving up two runs. Munson fell to 6-1 on the season with the loss, giving up a season-high four earned runs. Going into the game, Munson had allowed just three earned runs on the season.
After the drama of game one, the offense took over for the Owls in game two, pushing the Black and Gold to a 20-9 win. However, there was still fight left in James Madison as the Dukes came out swinging as well, scoring four times in the first off starter Micah Sales to take a 4-0 lead.
In the bottom of the frame, the Owls took a lead they would not relinquish. Ten batters went to the plate, with five of them scoring, with Freeman and Roques driving in KSU's first runs on RBI singles. After a walk to Tendler and a KSU strike out, McClurken connected for a two-run single, knotting the score, 4-4. Brown would follow one batter later with an RBI single of his own, giving KSU a 5-4 edge.
Three more runs came home for the Owls in the second, with Roques and McClurken doing the damage. A one out single by Roques plated Hart with the first run of the inning, and two batters later, a single by McClurken scored Freeman and Roques. For McClurken, the hit gave him five RBIs in three innings, going back to his RBI single in the eighth inning of the first game.
The Dukes (20-19) would chase Sales with two runs in the third, then tack on another run in the fourth before the Owls salted the game away for good with four in the bottom of the fourth inning. A double by Tendler was followed by an RBI single for Jordan Craft, with Brown following up with a double into right center to plate Craft two batters later. Stubblefield would then connect on his eighth home run of the season, landing on top of the Bailey Building in left field to give the Owls a 12-7 lead.
Three more Owls (18-22) came home to roost in the fifth inning, as Roques hit a home run off the facade of the Bailey Building for two more KSU runs. Later in the inning, an RBI infield single by Brown gave the Owls a 15-7 lead.
After two more Dukes came home to score in the sixth, the Owls finished the scoring with five runs in the bottom of the inning. For the second time in the game, the Owls would send 10 men to the plate, scoring five. Joe Gorley earned his first RBI as an Owl with a single through the right side that plated Chris Wages to begin the scoring. Roques would finish off his five RBI day with a double down the line in left, bringing home Whitaker. An RBI single to right by Craft was followed by an RBI single for Tendler. Finally with two men out, an infield hit by Stubblefield brought in Tendler with the game's final run.
"Our offense really performed well today in the second game," said KSU head coach Mike Sansing. "I'm very impressed with the fact that we were able to get 25 hits and score 20 runs in what was essentially six innings."
Kyle Clayton (1-0) earned the win in relief for KSU. With Sales not pitching the minimum required to earn the win, discretion was used by the official scorer to give the win to Clayton after the senior pitched one and one-third scoreless innings.
The Owls will be back in action this Tuesday as they travel to Statesboro to face Georgia Southern. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
