By: KSU Sports Information
Box Score
DELAND, Fla. – In the teams first ever appearance in an Atlantic Sun Baseball Championship game, the Kennesaw State Owls lost to Belmont 10-4 as the Bruins won their second consecutive title.
KSU scored the games first run in the second inning when
Max Pentecost belted his sixth hit of the tournament down the left field line, a double that got caught up in the corner and allowed
Andy Chriscaden to score from first base.
The Owls would go up 2-0 in the third inning on an RBI single from Ronnie Freeman that scored Aaron Dobbs, who led off with a double into the left field corner.
Belmont restarted the game in their half of the third inning when they tied the game, 2-2 as A-Sun All-Freshman Team third baseman Matt Beaty’s RBI sacrifice fly was immediately followed by a Judah Akers RBI single into centerfield.
The Bruins would seize control of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning when the squad scored four runs to go on top 6-2. The first four hitters in the inning reached base successfully before Beaty delivered his second RBI of the game with a single up the middle.
KSU would turn to Josh Carr to get the team out of the bases loaded jam, but the first pitch that Akers saw from the senior was laced down the third base line for a two-run double. The Bruins would add one more in the inning on a single by Jared Breen.
The Owls would cut the deficit in half in the sixth inning as they strung together four consecutive two out singles. Kody Belcher and Aaron Dobbs picked up the RBI’s as their back-to-back singles plated Chris McGowan and Jordan Craft to make it a 6-4 ballgame.
Belmont would answer back again in the bottom of the sixth with one run and three in the eighth inning as Zac Mitchell hit a homerun and Akers continued his perfect night at the plate, going five-for-five with four RBI.
Kennesaw State ended the year with a program record 34 wins as the Owls collected their first ever A-Sun postseason victory, winning three games throughout the tournament.
Dobbs, Chriscaden and Freeman earned A-Sun All Tournament honors for their efforts over the span of the five games. Dobbs batted .409 for the Championship with nine hits, three doubles and three RBI. Chriscaden used a monster game four against Florida Gulf Coast to propel his stats, setting a tournament record with seven RBI in the game. For the tournament he totaled eight RBI, batting .235 with four runs scored. Freeman ended this tournament with a .300 batting average and two RBI and three runs scored.
