By: KSU
Box Score
KENNESAW, Ga. – Ronnie Freeman, Andy Chriscaden, and Peyton Hart hit back-to-back-to-back home runs in the first inning to give Kennesaw State a 4-0 lead, as the Owls held on to defeat Southern Illinois, 10-6, on Sunday afternoon at Stillwell Stadium.
The Owls (18-12) played aggressively from the first inning, beginning with Ray Anderson (3-for-4) scampering to third base on a fly ball to center field by Aaron Dobbs. Freeman, who had four hits on the day, immediately started the fireworks when he launched the first pitch by Brad Durst over the right-center field wall for a 2-0 lead.
Chriscaden (1-for-2) followed by extending his hitting streak to 12 games with one of the longest home runs hit at Stillwell Stadium. The 6-foot-5-inch first baseman hit a gargantuan home run just to the left of the batters eye in center field that landed on the roof of the indoor pitching and hitting facility, more than 450 feet from home plate.
Hart (2-for-4) concluded the outburst with his second home run of the season, a high fly ball that hit the tables of the pavilion area at the Bailey Building in left field. The consecutive home runs marked the first time in Kennesaw State history that the Owls hit three straight home runs.
“That was quite a feat,” boasted head coach Mike Sansing on the first inning home runs. “We came out swinging, were aggressive early and kept the good start going by extending our lead throughout the game.”
Kennesaw State scored twice without a hit in the second inning, scoring on a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly. The Owls added two more runs in the fourth inning on an Ethan Herron sacrifice fly and a run-scoring single by yesterday’s hero, Drew Fowlkes. Anderson, who had a season-high three hits, extended the Owls lead to 9-1 with a base hit that scored Jordan Craft.
Southern Illinois (7-19) came back in the top of the sixth inning when they scored five runs, highlighted by a Nick Johnson pinch-hit grand slam. Johnson, who robbed Chriscaden of a grand slam on Friday night when he was playing right field, caught all of a Jeff Brown fastball and deposited his second homer of the season over the right-center field wall as the Owls lead was trimmed to three runs.
The Salukis, however, would not score again as the Kennesaw State bullpen of Brown, Caden Ferguson and J.B. Johnson kept Southern Illinois in check the rest of the way. Griffith (6-1) pitched five and one-third innings and allowed four runs on eight hits as he won his sixth game of the year. Brown shut down the Salukis over two and one-third innings before giving way to Caden Ferguson in the eighth.
Johnson recorded his sixth save of the season in a ninth inning that saw the Salukis load the bases with one out, before the hard-throwing right-hander struck out Dustin Huff looking to end the game.
The Owls will be back in action on Tuesday evening when they host the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at 6:00 p.m. The game is Prostate Cancer Awareness Night and Baby Blue KSU Cap Night. The Owls will wear baby blue jerseys, which will be auctioned off prior to the game via a text-based bidding system as well as live bidding during the game.
