By: KSU Sports Information
Box Score
MACON, Ga. – In a game that was as intense as the rivalry between Kennesaw State and Mercer has become, the Owls rallied from a 2-1, sixth-inning deficit to upend the Bears, 5-3, on Friday night at Claude Smith Field.
In a hard-fought game that had as much drama as you could fit into nine innings, the Owls (15-10, 8-2 A-Sun) soared back from a 2-0 deficit to take a 3-2 lead in the top of the sixth inning, one of three lead changes on the night. The Bears would tie the game in the bottom of the inning, before Kennesaw State scored in the seventh and eighth innings to win their fifth straight conference game and hand mercer its fifth consecutive A-Sun loss.
In the game, Mercer (16-9, 4-6 A-Sun) would turn a triple play, have the go-ahead home run called back after the batter missed first base, see their starting pitcher strike out six consecutive batters and have the go-ahead run at the plate in the eighth inning and tying run batting in the ninth. However, it was the Black and Gold that came away with the win.
“This was a great game that had everything,” said head coach Mike Sansing. “I am very proud of our guys for the way they came back when there were times we could have folded. All of our pitchers did well tonight, Josh [Carr], [Alan] Busenitz and J.B. [Johnson] threw well and [Aaron] Dobbs and [Andy] Chriscaden had three hits. It was a very good all around performance.”
Trailing 2-0 and with Mercer starting pitcher Brandon Love cruising, the Owls scored a run in the fourth inning when Dobbs led off with a double to right center field. After Freeman walked, Andy Chriscaden drove in his 28th run of the season with a double down the left field line.
Love, who lasted five and one-third innings, would recover to strike out the side and did the same thing in the fifth inning as he recorded seven consecutive outs via the strikeout and finished with nine total.
The Owls took the lead in the top of the sixth when Freeman and Chriscaden singled before Peyton Hart followed with an RBI-single to right field to tie the game. A Drew Fowlkes sacrifice fly gave Kennesaw State the lead before things got more bizarre in the bottom of the inning.
With one out, Carr hit Jacob Tanis with a pitch and the next batter grounded sharply to the mound where Carr fielded the ball cleanly and fired to second base. Sean McClurken got the out at second, but couldn’t turn the double play as it appeared Tanis came close to being out of the base path.
Thomas Carroll came up next and launched a rocket that gave mercer a 4-3 lead. However, Coach Sansing rushed from the dugout and called for an appeal at first base, where the umpire called Carroll out for missing the base and keeping the game tied at three.
Kennesaw State wasted no time pushing across the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh inning when Dobbs reached for a 2-2 pitch on the outside corner and dropped a single into left field, scoring Will Howard.
“I just wanted to make contact and I able to go with the pitch,” said Dobbs on his game-winning hit. “I am just really happy with the win and how we played tonight. We came-from-behind, our pitching was great and we got clutch hitting when we needed it. It was a complete team effort.”
An infield hit by Ray Anderson added an insurance run in the top of the eighth inning as Alan Busenitz and J.B. Johnson combined to shut down the Bears in the highly charged eighth and ninth innings.
After a leadoff single by Tanis, the junior right-hander struck out Carroll for the first out and the next batter Moreland before the wild pitches and walk brought Derrick Workman to the plate. Busenitz struck out the lefty swinging on a 2-2 pitch to end the inning.
“All of pitchers threw extremely well tonight and came up with big strikeouts when we needed them,” commented Sansing.
J.B. Johnson pitched the ninth inning, allowing a single to Evan Boyd and before getting a force play and striking out Joe Winker swinging to end the game and earn his fifth save of the season.
Mercer jumped ahead 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning as Tanis homered to left field after Winker singled. The home run would be the second big play for Tanis as he got things off to a record start for Mercer in the top of the first when he started a triple play.
After McClurken walked and Dobbs singled, Ronnie Freeman grounded sharply to third base were Tanis stepped on the base threw to second baseman Nate Moorhouse who tossed to Nate Moreland for Mercer’s first triple play in modern Mercer history.
Dobbs and Chriscaden each had three hits to lead the 11-hit Kennesaw state attack. Hart added two hits as five different players drove in runs for the Owls. Carr (3-1) pitched seven innings and allowed seven hits with three strikeouts and two walks.
The second game of the series is scheduled for Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. The game was rescheduled to an afternoon game due to weather concerns in the area. The game can be followed via
live stats.
