THE BASICS
Records: Kennesaw State (2-4), Evansville (1-3)
Score: Kennesaw State 7, Evansville 6 (12)
Starting Pitching Matchup: RHP Austin Allinger vs. RHP
AJ Moore
Key Players: Grant Williams (2-for-4, run, two RBI);
Jaylen Smith (1-for-6, two RBI);
Griffin Helms (1-for-5, RBI);
AJ Moore (5.0IP, 3H, 1ER);
Jake Franklin (1-for-5, RBI);
AJ Willoughby (1-for-2, RBI);
Brian Exley (win, 2.1 IP)
Box Score (PDF)
THE STORYLINE:
· Junior 1B
AJ Willoughby singled to left field driving home junior OF
Jake Franklin in the bottom of the 12
th inning to secure a 7-6 victory in extra innings Friday night at Stillwell Stadium over Evansville.
· The Owls (2-4) and Evansville (1-3) totaled four ties and five lead changes on the night.
HOW IT HAPPENED
· Trailing 5-3 in the top of the ninth, Evansville's Kenton Crews hit a three-run homer with two outs to hand the Aces a 6-5 edge, marking the fourth lead change of the ballgame.
· The Owls' Franklin, however, with one out hit an RBI sacrifice fly ball to left field to deadlock the game at 6-6 and secured extra innings.
· The two teams exchanged scoreless frames until Franklin hit a triple to left field in the bottom of the 12
th with one out, setting up Willoughby's walk-off single.
· The Owls and Aces went back and forth throughout the first four frames, combining for eight runs on nine hits and totaled three ties and three lead changes during that span.
· Moore, a Dacula, Ga., native, had a strong showing in his second start of the season and earned a no decision.
· The righty allowed just three hits, one earned run and struck out two Aces' hitters to take a two-run advantage into the sixth frame.
· Senior 2B
Grant Williams (2-for-4, run, two RBI), junior 3B
Jaylen Smith (1-for-6, two RBI), senior C
Griffin Helms (1-for-5, RBI), Franklin (1-for-5, RBI) and Willoughby (1-for-2, RBI) combined for six of the Owls' 10 hits and drove in all seven runs.
· The Owls'
Jared Staples,
Cooper Mayhall,
Max Ryan and
Ryan Wesley all registered scoreless outings out of the bullpen.
· LHP
Brian Exley, who earned his first win of the season, was stellar out of the bullpen, holding the Aces scoreless over 2.1 frames to give the Owls the opportunity in the bottom half of the 12
th.
SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets are available for $39 and can be purchased online by
CLICKING HERE. You can also reach the ticket box office by calling 470-578-4849 for any season ticket inquiries.
Premium home games include Mercer (Feb. 27), Samford (March 2), North Florida (April 13), Lipscomb (April 20), Georgia State (May 8), Georgia Southern (May 9) and Clemson (May 15), and are priced $10 for single-game tickets.
UP NEXT
Kennesaw State continues its four-game series versus Evansville Saturday afternoon. The Aces and Owls are scheduled to play a doubleheader, with first pitch set for 1 p.m. Both games are scheduled to air live on Facebook.
