By: KSU Sports Information Department
Box Score
CULLOWHEE, N .C. – Steve Janas pitched five scoreless innings in his first collegiate start and Drew Fowlkes had three hits and drove in two runs as Kennesaw State defeated Western Carolina, 6-2, on Wednesday evening at Hennon Stadium.
Janas (1-0) looked like anything but a rookie as he allowed just two hits over five scoreless frames in picking up his first college victory. The right-hander struck out three batters and walked two as he retired the side in order twice and allowed only one runner to second base.
“Steve threw the ball well tonight,” said Kennesaw State head coach Mike Sansing. “ Basically we felt he could have gone longer, but we wanted to keep him fresh and hold him to a pitch count in the sixties.”
The Owls (27-21) gave the freshman a pair of runs in the second inning. Peyton Hart was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and Sean McClurken followed with a triple to the gap in right-center field as he extended his hitting streak to 12 games. McClurken has the second-longest hitting streak by an Owl this season. Ronnie Freeman, Andy Chriscaden and Ray Anderson all have had 13-game hitting streaks.
Drew Fowlkes ripped a double off the wall in right field to score McClurken and give the Owls a 2-0 lead. Fowlkes doubled again to lead off the eighth inning and then delivered a run scoring single in the top of the ninth as he gathered a season high three hits.
“Drew swung the bat well tonight and looked comfortable,” added Sansing. “We need him to get going, he’s a big part of the middle of our lineup.”
Freeman gave the Owls a 3-0 lead with two outs in the top of the fifth inning when he homered to left field off reliever Adam Curtis. Freeman’s sixth home run of the year sparked the Black and Gold's two-out rally as Chriscaden and Hart walked before McClurken singled through the right side for his second RBI of the game.
“Sean has got it going well offensively,” commented Sansing on his second baseman. “He’s been patient, he’s got good pace going and recently he is always giving us good at-bats. Plus, he is playing well in the field.”
After Western Carolina (18-27-1) scored twice in the sixth inning to cut the Owls lead in half, Kennesaw State added solo runs in the eighth and ninth innings to build its lead to four runs before their bullpen closed out the game.
After a leadoff walk in the bottom of the eighth inning, Andrew Austin entered the game for the Owls, induced a double play, and then got Matt Johns to fly out to end the inning. J.B. Johnson retired the side in order in the ninth, securing the Owls win and evening the season series with the Catamounts.
The Owls will head to Jacksonville, Fla. for a critical three-game series with North Florida beginning on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. and concluding with 1:00 p.m. games on Saturday and Sunday. All three games can be followed via live stats and can be heard live at www.ksuowls.com.
