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KENNESAW, Ga. – A strong start from pitcher
Travis Dean coupled with a new season-high 15 runs and 15 hits helped drive the Kennesaw State baseball team past Northern Kentucky for the second straight day, 15-4, bringing the Owls their first A-Sun series win of the season on Saturday afternoon.
Dean (Boston, Mass./Newton South HS) tossed six innings, allowing just two runs on two hits and striking out six, not allowing the first NKU (2-21, 0-2 Atlantic Sun Conference) hit until the sixth inning as the Owls picked up their fourth straight victory. With the win, the Owls move to 13-10 overall and over .500 in the league standings at 3-2.
At the plate it was the senior
Peyton Hart (Sandy Cross, Ga./Franklin County HS) who had the big afternoon, going 4-for-5 with two runs scored and one RBI during the offensive marathon for the black and gold.
The scoreboard lit up early and often for KSU as the home team ran across its first two in the bottom of the first as
Bo Way (Brunswick, Ga./Glynn Academy) extended his hit streak to 18 games with a single to drive in
Andy Almonte (Moca, Puerto Rico/Gordon College) for the game’s first run.
The Owls then batted around in the lineup in the fifth, scoring five runs on three hits with #Jacob Bruce’s# (Woodstock, Ga./Woodstock HS) two-RBI infield single capping off the big inning. Hart also drove in one with a single into right field.
KSU allowed the Norse their first two runs of the game in the sixth with a bases-clearing triple from right fielder Conor Ledger, but the Owls answered, putting up six runs in the eighth on a bases loaded double from
Anthony Duran (Miami, Fla./Southwest Miami HS) that brought in three to give KSU the 15-4 win in Stillwell Stadium.
For the second consecutive game four Owls earned multiple hits including Hart’s four and two each from Almonte, Bruce and
Chris McGowan (Lawrenceville, Ga./Collins Hill HS). Hart is now hitting .615 through the last three games for KSU with five RBI and five runs scored.
Bruce and Duran each drove in three runs with McGowan and catcher
Max Pentecost (Winder, Ga./Winder-Barrow HS) scoring three runs as well.
As a team, the bats have remained hot for the Owls who have put up 38 runs in the last three games alone, setting new season highs in each outing.
Kennesaw State capitalized on five errors from the Norse during the routing while holding the visitors to just five hits of their own.
The Owls will go for the sweep tomorrow, March 24, at 1 p.m. ET in the final day of the three-game series.
Keep up with Owls baseball all season by following KSU on Twitter
@KSUOwlNation and
@KSUOwlsBaseball, or by liking Kennesaw State Owls on Facebook.
Kennesaw State University is celebrating 30 years of intercollegiate athletics during the 2012-13 academic year.
Around the A-Sun
Mercer 7, Stetson 4
East Tennessee State 3, Florida Gulf Coast 2 (Game One)
North Florida 7, Lipscomb 5
