LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Kennesaw State baseball (24-17, 14-6 Atlantic Sun Conference) put on an offensive clinic in a 21-1, run-rule rout of Bellarmine (6-36, 5-15 ASUN) Saturday afternoon at Knights Field.
Catcher
Aaron Posey led the way with two hits, six RBI and his first collegiate home run in the form of a fourth-inning grand slam.
Isaac Bouton and
Zac Corbin both tallied three hits and each finished a homer shy of the cycle. Bouton added three RBI to his ledger. Every starter in the Kennesaw State batting order recorded a base hit.
Brayden Eidson joined Bouton as the two Owls that each had two hits in one inning Saturday. Eidson led off the game with his fourth home run of 2024.
Chris Cole notched three hits in the contest as well - his third game with at least three this season.
KSU dropped 10 runs in the first inning and six in the fourth. Owl pitching faced 30 batters, allowing just four hits and one earned run. Starter
Blake Aita (5-1) pitched the first four frames and secured the win on the mound.
The 20-run margin-of-victory was the largest by Owl baseball since April 24, 2009 when the Black and Gold defeated former ASUN foe Belmont, 26-2.
21 runs marked the most by the KSU since May 13, 2022 in a 23-5 win over Stetson.
Eidson led off the game with a solo shot to center. Cole then reached on an error, stole second and was brought home by
Jackson Chirello.
Nick Hassan scored on a Corbin double and was followed by another double - this one from Posey - that scored both Corbin and Chirello.
With Posey on,
Jamarie Brooks drew a walk and
Shamaar McDuffie collected a single. Posey and Brooks crossed home on Eidson's second hit of the inning on a single through the right side.
McDuffie and Eidson were on base when
Isaac Bouton smashed a triple to right center, clearing the bases. Bouton came home on a Bellarmine wild pitch.
The opening frame featured 10 runs on eight hits. Four Owls batted twice in the inning and every player in the batting order reached base at least once.
Corbin acquired his second hit of the game in the second inning.
After Bouton led off the fourth with a double, Chirello sent a 2-2 pitch up the middle to bring him home and extend the Owl lead to 11-0.
Hassan, Chirello and Corbin loaded the bases for Posey, who launched a grand slam to left, further extending the Kennesaw State advantage, 15-0. Brooks singled after the homer and scored on a single from Bouton - his second hit of the inning - to make it 16-0.
Brooks launched a sacrifice fly to center in the fifth that scored Corbin, increasing the lead to 17-0.
Corbin notched a sac fly of his own in the sixth that scored Cole. With bases loaded two at-bats later, Brooks drew a walk to add another for KSU.
Wade Richardson pinched hit later in the inning and sent an RBI single to center field that scored Posey and Chirello as Kennesaw State went up 21-0.
Bellarmine added one run in the seventh but the Owl defense ended the game after that in the seventh via run-rule, 21-1.
UP NEXT
Kennesaw State and Bellarmine wrap up their three-game series Sunday, April 28 at 1:00 p.m. on ESPN+.
The Owls return to inside Stillwell Stadium for a rematch against the Georgia Bulldogs Tuesday, April 30. Fans can purchase tickets
here.
