MADISON, Ala. - Kennesaw State (11-8, 2-0 Atlantic Sun Conference) opened up its 2024 conference schedule with a pair of victories behind a pitching gem and impressive offensive performances over the North Alabama Lions (6-12, 0-2 ASUN) Saturday inside Toyota Field.
Sophomore pitcher
Blake Aita (2-0) started game two and delivered a six-inning, five-hit shutout performance supported by a 13-hit game at the plate from the Owl offense.
KSU went wire-to-wire in the second game of the doubleheader, dropping the conference foe 11-1 in a seven-inning run-rule win.
Brayden Eidson led off for Kennesaw State in both contests and tallied five hits in 10 at-bats and four runs scored.
Isaac Bouton had six RBI in the doubleheader with four hits of his own. The duo had multiple hits in both games along with
Spencer Hanson who also had four in addition to three RBI and three runs scored.
The first game of the series featured four different lead changes before the Black and Gold broke a 5-5 tie in the seventh and did not look back, securing a 10-5 victory.
Nick Hassan set a new single-game career high with three drawn walks in the series opener.
Kennesaw State remains undefeated in road contests against North Alabama, now 5-0. KSU has outscored the Lions 54-15 in those games.
The Owls have scored at least 10 runs in seven of their 11 wins this season and in each of the last five victories.
GAME ONE - Kennesaw State 10, North Alabama 5
Bouton and Eidson each posted three-hit outings while Hassan reached in all five of his trips to the plate. Bouton led KSU with three RBI and
Nate Anderson launched the lone home run for the Black and Gold in game one.
Eidson led off the series-opening contest by extending his hit streak to six games. He leads Kennesaw State with 23 hits on the 2024 campaign. He recorded his 39th career multi-hit game to lead off the fifth. UNA added two runs in the bottom of the second to take a 2-0 lead early.
After a leadoff walk from Hassan in the fourth and back-to-back singles from Bouton and Hanson loaded the bases. During
Donovan Cash's at-bat, an error by the UNA catcher allowed Bouton to come across, cutting into the deficit, 2-1. An RBI single from
Jackson Chirello evened the game at two apiece in the next AB.
Hudson Mimbs then drew a walk to score Cash and give Kennesaw State its first advantage of the afternoon, 3-2. North Alabama retook the lead, 4-3, in the bottom of the frame.
Bouton smashed a single to left, scoring Eidson in the top of the fifth to equalize the game once again, 4-4. Cash sent another ball up the middle two batters later to score Hassan and put KSU back in front, 5-4. UNA once again evened the game in the bottom fifth, 5-5.
Kennesaw State retook the lead during Chirello's plate appearance in the top of the seventh after a UNA wild pitch plated Hassan, 6-5. Pitcher
Nolan Sliver, who entered in relief for the Owls in the fifth, stranded two Lion runners in the bottom of the seventh - including one on third - to keep KSU in front.
Sliver and Osbolt stranded eight combined North Alabama runners with seven being in scoring position.
Nate Anderson pinched hit to lead off the top of the eighth and sent his second homer as an Owl over the right field fence to put KSU up by two, 7-5. Eidson followed that with a double for his fourth three-hit game of the 2024 season with only one away.
Adding a
Shamaar McDuffie walk and Hassan hit-by-pitch loaded the bases for Bouton who plated McDuffie and Eidson to extend the advantage, 9-5. Hanson's sacrifice fly to right scored Hassan, changing the scoreboard to 10-5 in favor of the Black and Gold.
Sliver (1-2) slammed the door on North Alabama in the final two frames to collect his first victory of 2024 allowing only four hits and one earned run. The Ola High School product has allowed one earned run or less in nine of his last 10 appearances on the mound.
KSU's 14 hits marked the second-most by the Owls against the Lions in series history.
GAME TWO - Kennesaw State 11, North Alabama 1 (seven innings)
Aita started the nightcap and pitched 6.0 innings of shutout baseball allowing only five hits in 25 batters faced. His 10 strikeouts set a new career-high.
At the plate, McDuffie had a career-best three-hit outing with two RBI. Bouton led the team with three RBI from the three-hole and posted the only homer of game two.
Eidson's two hits marked his 40th multi-hit game and improved his hit streak to seven games.
Facing a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the first, Aita collected back-to-back punchouts to leave the Lions scoreless.
A pair of singles from Hanson and Chirello led off the top half of the second. A walk from Corbin three batters later set up McDuffie for an RBI single to put KSU up first, 1-0.
Hassan doubled to left center with one out in the third. Bouton then stepped up to the plate and sent a no-doubter to left to increase the Owl advantage, 3-0.
Hanson's second hit of the game scored Eidson, who stole second and advanced to third on a North Alabama wild pitch. KSU led 4-0 after five.
Bouton brought home his third RBI of the game on a walk that scored McDuffie in the first half of the seventh inning. Hanson followed with a walk of his own to score Eidson. Both came with bases loaded and no outs.
Two batters later,
Aaron Posey singled to send Hassan home. Anderson then hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Bouton. Corbin added a base hit to plate Hanson. Back-to-back RBI singles from McDuffie and Eidson added an additional two runs for the Black and Gold.
The seven-run seventh inning for Kennesaw State increased the lead to 11-0.
Mimbs pitched the final inning and slammed the door on North Alabama, allowing only one earned run to seal the win for KSU, 11-1.
The 10-run margin of victory was the largest by either team in series history.
UP NEXT
Kennesaw State concludes its three-game set with the Lions Sunday, March 17 at 1:00 p.m. ET inside Toyota Field. Fans can follow the live stats here or follow along with the North Alabama radio broadcast
here.
The Owls return to the Shake for an ASUN home-opening series against FGCU beginning Friday, March 22. Fans can purchase tickets
here. All three games against the Eagles will be broadcast on the ESPN+.
