DELAND, Fla. - Kennesaw State (17-12, 7-4 Atlantic Sun Conference) evened its series against the Stetson Hatters (21-10, 8-3 ASUN) in a 4-3 victory inside Melching Field at Conrad Park Saturday night.
Starter
Blake Aita (3-0) faced 24 batters allowing just one earned run and five hits with six strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work. The sophomore has gone at least 6.0 frames in four of his last five starts. It marked his third win of the season.
Isaac Bouton secured his fourth three-hit game of the season and had the first RBI of the game for KSU in back-to-back games. Bouton and
Spencer Hanson each posted two RBI while leadoff hitter
Brayden Eidson crossed home twice.
With the victory,
Ryan Coe earned his 40th conference victory as head coach of the Black and Gold. The win snapped the Hatters' eight-game win streak.
Stetson took a 1-0 first-inning lead on a sacrifice fly. Aita struck out the side in the second, collecting two swinging K's.
A bases loaded walk drawn by Bouton evened the score at one in the third. It marked the fourth-straight walk in the inning that chased the Stetson starter.
Hanson stepped up to the plate in the next at-bat with bases still loaded and hit a single to right that scored
Nick Hassan and Eidson, giving KSU its first lead of the night at 3-1.
Bouton had a two-out single in the fifth that marked his 10th multi-hit game of 2024.
The Hatters had two runners on and none out in the bottom of the fifth but Aita forced three consecutive fly outs to end the scoring threat.
Eidson knocked a double to right in the top of the ninth for his fifth-straight outing with a base hit. He advanced to third during Hassan's AB and scored on an infield single from Bouton to give Kennesaw State an insurance run, 4-1.
Stetson added two runs in the bottom of the ninth but
Nolan Sliver slammed the door and struck out two in the inning to hand KSU the win and earn his second save of 2024. Sliver pitched the final three innings and struck out five.
GAME NOTES
- Bouton's first-inning double extended his hit streak to five games.
-
Shamaar McDuffie reached base for the fourth-straight contest.
- Eidson's reached base streak is now at five consecutive games.
-
Chris Cole now has reached base in each of his last nine trips to the plate and has a hit in his last four.
-
Hudson Mimbs extended his hit streak to a season-high four games in the sixth inning.
UP NEXT
Kennesaw State's series finale against the Hatters is set for Sunday, April 7 at 1:00 p.m. on ESPN+.
The Owls return to The Shake for a three-game conference set against Central Arkansas beginning Friday, April 12. Fans can purchase tickets
here.
