DELAND, Fla. - For the second time in three seasons, Kennesaw State baseball advanced to the Atlantic Sun Championship Game Saturday afternoon, edging No. 6 Central Arkansas 6-5 in the semifinals.
The Owls (32-23, 19-10 ASUN) jumped out to an early 2-0 lead behind four scoreless frames from
Smith Pinson but the red-hot Bears (26-30, 12-18 ASUN) evened the game at two in the fifth. The tie was short-lived after a four-run fifth from the Black and Gold to make it 6-2. UCA tried to rally with three in the seventh but could not muster an equalizing run in the last two frames as KSU earned its fifth trip to the ASUN title game in program history.
2024 All-ASUN First Team and All-Freshman selection
Bo Rhudy continued his stellar freshman campaign, pitching the final 2.2 innings of relief allowing just two baserunners and zero UCA runs to collect his KSU-best sixth save of the season. He has earned the save in five of his last six outings.
Fellow 2024 All-ASUN first teamer
Nick Hassan added to his impressive senior season with two hits and two key RBI for the Owls. He got the scoring going for KSU in the third.
Jackson Chirello provided the fireworks, going long with a no-doubter in the fourth, his second of 2024.
Chris Cole and
Zac Corbin joined Hassan and Chirello with mutli-hit games. Corbin reached in three of his four trips to the plate while
Donovan Cash ripped two RBI. Cash moved into sixth in KSU DI career history with 132 RBI's in an Owl uniform.
Kennesaw State has now won a season-high seven games, the longest streak under head coach
Ryan Coe. KSU is the only remaining undefeated team at the tournament and has won all three games by one run each.
Starter
Smith Pinson threw just eight pitches in the opening frame, retiring the Bears in order to open the contest. He followed suit with eight pitches and two groundouts in the second. The righty tallied his third-straight eight-pitch inning capped off by a double play to retire the side.
Cole led off the bottom of the third with his second hit of the day in the form of a double to right field. After he reached third base, Hassan sent a single into right to score the first run in favor of the Black and Gold. KSU led 1-0 after three.
On the first pitch thrown in the bottom of the fourth, Chirello launched a no-doubter to right field for a solo homer, extending the lead to 2-0. UCA evened the game at two in the top of the fifth.
After back-to-back drawn walks in the bottom of the fifth, Hassan sent a single up the middle to score
Isaac Bouton. Cash then stepped up to the plate and sent a two-run single into right field and then scored himself on a single from Corbin two batters later. KSU led 6-2 after five. UCA scored three in the seventh to make it 6-5.
Rhudy pitched the last 2.2 frames striking out three and keeping the Bears off the board to advance Kennesaw State to the ASUN Championship.
UP NEXT
Kennesaw State awaits the winner of No. 3 Stetson and No. 4 FGCU for the 2024 Atlantic Sun Championship at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 26. Fans can follow the action on the KSU Owl Network radio call
here or on ESPN+.
