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STATESBORO, Ga. – Kennesaw State baseball secured a nailbiter against its in-state rival, Georgia Southern, by a score of 4-3 on Tuesday night at J.I. Clemens Stadium. With the victory, the Owls (8-6) improve to 3-2 in the last five contests against the Eagles (7-10).
Smith Pinson took the mound with the bases loaded in the eighth and the Owls holding a 4-3 lead with two outs. After falling behind 3-0, the 6'8 right hander worked his way out of a jam by inducing a ground ball to keep KSU ahead.
Pinson returned to the mound for the ninth inning, where he worked a clean frame and sealed the victory for the Owls. This was the second save of the year for the right hander which ties him with
Nolan Sliver for the team lead.
Brayden Eidson (1-1) made his second start and earned his first win on the season. The southpaw tossed 4.2 scoreless innings and allowed only three hits. He finished the outing with four strikeouts to tie his season high.
Blake Aita came out of the bullpen in the fifth with runners in scoring position and needed only one pitch to escape the jam. The freshman bridged the game for the Owls' bullpen and went 2.1 innings with one strikeout.
The Kennesaw State offense compiled 10 hits and had three players in the multi-hit category. The team was led by
Jackson Chirello, who finished 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs scored.
Nick Hassan and
Donovan Cash were the other Owls who tallied multi-hit performances in the KSU win. Hassan ended the night 2-for-5 while Cash was 2-for-4 with a walk.
Other notables for the offense were
Jamarie Brooks (1-for-3) who tallied the first RBI for the KSU offense and
Chris Cole (1-for-4, two RBI).
With two outs in the second, Brooks laced a two-strike double that brought home a hustling
Hudson Mimbs from first base. The double was the second of the year for the freshman and put Kennesaw State ahead, 1-0.
In the fourth, Hassan singled and Chirello followed with a double to put runners on second and third. Cole then roped a line drive that scored both Owls and increased the lead to 3-0.
The bats were quiet until the top of the sixth, when Chirello led off the frame with a no-doubt home run that stayed just inside the foul pole. The blast was the third of the year for the freshman.
Georgia Southern scored one run in the bottom of the seventh but Aita worked out of the threat to keep KSU ahead, 4-1. The Eagles scored two more in the eighth to pull the game within one, but Pinson slammed the door to give Kennesaw State the victory.
KSU baseball is back in action tomorrow as the team welcomes the Rutgers Scarlet Knights to Stillwell Stadium for a midweek matchup. First pitch is set for 5:00 p.m. and the first students through the gate will receive a new script Owls t-shirt. Tickets are available for purchase by clicking
here.
To keep up with the latest on the Kennesaw State baseball team, follow the team on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and @KSUOwlsBaseball or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook and Instagram.
