CHARLOTTE, N.C. – All nine starters collected a hit as Kennesaw State defeated Queens 9-5 in 10 innings Friday night at The Stick Williams Dream Fields. The Owls (18-18, 8-8) scored four runs in the top of the 10th to get the series-opening win over the Royals (6-30, 2-14).
Blake Wehunt delivered his second straight quality start and the fifth quality start of the season. Wehunt went six innings, with six hits, two runs and three strikeouts.
Smith Pinson was credited with the win after pitching in the ninth and 10th frames. Pinson pitched two innings and allowed just one hit and ended with three strikeouts.
Spencer Hanson led the Owls at the plate with a 3-for-6 performance. The Leesburg, Ga. native had a two-run homer, a double, a single and three runs scored.
Brayden Eidson went 3-for-6, with a triple, three RBIs and scored a run.
Nick Hassan finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs.
Wade Richardson ended the night 2-for-4 and scored a run.
Hudson Mimbs went 1-for-3 and hit his fourth home run of the season with a solo shot in the top of the fourth inning.
Jackson Chirello,
Donovan Cash and
Zac Corbin each singled and
Nick Colina doubled to round out the Kennesaw State attack.
For the second straight game, Kennesaw State jumped out to an early lead in the first inning. Hanson belted a two-run home run to left field to put the Owls up 2-0.
Wehunt shut the home squad down in order in the bottom of the first.
Queens scratched across a run in the bottom of the second to pull within a run.
Hanson doubled in the top of the third and with two outs, Hassan singled up the middle to put KSU back in front by two, 3-1.
The Royals answered with another run in the bottom of the third to cut the lead to 3-2.
Mimbs led off the top of the next frame with a solo shot to left center to push the score back to 4-2.
Wehunt cruised through the next three innings, and Hassan drove in his second RBI of the game to extend the lead to 5-2 in the top of the seventh.
Blake Aita entered from the pen in the bottom of the seventh and shut down the threat to keep the score at 5-2.
Queens answered with two runs in the eighth and another in the ninth to send the game to extras.
Hassan led off the 10th with a single. Chirello walked the next at-bat and Mimbs laid down a sac bunt and reached on an error to load the bases with no outs. Hassan scored on a wild pitch to give the Owls the lead, 6-5.
After Richardson walked to load up the bases again, Eidson cleared the bases with a triple to make it a 9-5 game into the bottom of the 10th.
Pinson shut down the Royals in order and had two punchouts as the Owls got the 9-5 victory.
The Owls take Queens for game two Saturday at 6 p.m. (ET).
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.
