By: by Jason Hanes
KENNESAW, Ga. - Kennesaw State baseball's senior class of 2010 closed out their careers on the diamond with a series win over East Tennessee State at Stillwell Stadium Friday evening. The Owls took game one of a rain-plagued Atlantic Sun Conference doubleheader, 6-3, before falling in the nightcap, 4-3.
The start time for game one was pushed back to 2:15 p.m. due to inclement weather coming closer to Kennesaw. When the rains continued to hold off, the teams took the field with the Owls scoring in the first inning on a Drew Fowlkes RBI single to left. ETSU took its only lead of the game in the second after an RBI double by Chas Byrne and an RBI single by Michael Gonzalez.
Undaunted, the Owls came back in the bottom of the second to capture the lead for good. With two men on, a double off the top of the Bailey Building in left field by Tyler Stubblefield scored Clint Roques, who doubled to start the inning. One batter later, a two-run single by Bucky Smith put KSU ahead, 4-2.
The score stayed the same into the fourth inning, when heavy rains came, causing a two hour and four minute rain delay. When the teams returned, Zak Griffith took over for Josh Carr and was extremely effective. The sophomore allowed a seventh inning run on two hits, but worked out of a bases loaded jam in the same inning to preserve a 4-3 lead.
The Owls scored a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the seventh to salt away the win. With the bases loaded after Stubblefield and Smith reached on errors to start the inning and Fowlkes was walked, freshman Ronnie Freeman singled back up the middle, plating a pair to give the Owls a 6-3 lead.
That would be enough for Griffith, who did not allow a runner to reach scoring position in either of the last two innings. Griffith improved to 2-3 on the season, while ETSU starter Ben Booker dropped to 6-2 after giving up four runs in three innings of action.
In game two, the Owls used the long ball to cross the plate three times. A solo home run by Smith off the tree beyond the right field wall gave the Owls a 1-0 lead. After a single by Josh Whitaker, Fowlkes deposited his team-leading 12th home run of the season onto the balcony of the Bailey Building in left to give KSU a 3-0 cushion.
It appeared for a while that would be all the runs the Owls would need. Senior Brad Long was dominant in earning the start on his final day in a KSU uniform, not allowing a base hit through the first four and one-third innings. ETSU finally scratched away at Long, getting one on the board after a throwing error in the fifth made the score 3-1.
Paul Hoilman connected off of Long for his 24th home run of the season with one out in the sixth to cut KSU's advantage to one. In the seventh, senior reliever Kyle Clayton appeared to get out of a bases loaded jam unscathed as the Owls appeared to have turned a double play; however, much to the dismay of many of the 177 patrons in attendance who thought the relay through to first base was clearly one-half step ahead of the runner, Andrew Green was instead called safe at first for an RBI fielder's choice, tying the score, 3-3.
A fielder's choice, a wild pitch, and a single through the right side with two men out by Derek Niesman proved to be the difference in the game as the Buccaneers scored the fourth and final run of the game in the top of the eighth. The Owls would get the tying run over to third in the bottom of the frame, but just couldn't get the run home.
J.B. Johnson took the loss, allowing a run on two hits in 2.1 innings of action. Long pitched a season-best six innings, striking out a season-high six batters.
The Owls wrap up the season 23-32, finishing just shy of qualifying for the A-Sun Championships with an 11-15 record. ETSU moved to 30-26 on the year with a 15-12 A-Sun record.
