MACON, Ga. - Kennesaw State baseball head coach
Ryan Coe secured his 100th victory at the helm as the Owls rallied to defeat in-state foe Mercer 5-3 Wednesday night at OrthoGeorgia Park.
Nate Anderson erupted for three hits and two key RBI to lift KSU (7-11) past the Bears (12-6). Mercer led 2-0 after four but the Owls scored in five-straight innings to grab its seventh victory of the 2025 campaign.
Coe becomes just the second KSU head coach to eclipse 100 wins, joining his former coach and Kennesaw State Athletics Hall of Famer Mike Sansing. Kennesaw State has now won three of the last four road games in its series versus Mercer. The victory also evened the Owls' Division I era road record against the Bears (12-12).
How it Happened
Mercer runners reached scoring position in each of the first two home frames but starter
Ryan Gold retired both sets via punchout to keep the game scoreless. The Bears added two in the bottom of the fourth to break the scoreless tie.
Wesley Alig led off the fifth with a single to center.
Aaron Posey then reached on an infield error to put two on with none out. A sac bunt from
Shamaar McDuffie moved them into scoring position and in the next AB, Anderson smacked an RBI single into right to plate Alig - making it 2-1.
With
Cam Suto on in the sixth, Alig singled to left field for his second hit of the afternoon. Posey followed that with his own single to left to even the game again at two apiece. Mercer scored one in the bottom of the inning to go up 3-2.
Down one in the seventh, Anderson led off the inning with a single and reached third. On a 3-0 count against a fresh Mercer pitcher,
Cooper Williams crushed a double to left center to even the score at 3-3.
Now tied in the top of the eighth inning, Suto drew a leadoff walk and reached second following a walk from McDuffie. With those two on, Anderson stepped to the plate and sent a 2-1 pitch into the outfield to give KSU its first lead of the night, now at 4-3.
Donovan Cash kept the offensive efficiency going in the ninth, leading off the frame with a double and reached third on a passed ball. Two batters later,
Jackson Chirello lifted a ball into center to score Cash from third, giving KSU a 5-3 advantage. Reliever
Ryan Renfroe threw the final two frames allowing no runs or hits to seal the win and collect his first save of 2025.
Spotlight Performances
- Anderson's stat line Wednesday night: 3-for-5 with two RBI and one run scored. He now has a reached base streak of 17 games and a hit streak of eight (2025 team-high).
- Alig posted a 2-for-5 day with one run score, his fifth multi-hit game as a freshman.
- Cooper Williams extended his reached base streak to nine games. He drew two walks at Mercer.
- Cash now has 212 career hits, two away from entering the KSU Division I top 10.
- Gold threw 3.2 frames allowing just two hits while striking out four.
- Reliever Daniel Powell was credited with the win, not allowing a run or hit in the seventh.
- Chris Cole's reached base streak now stands at 10 games.
Next Up
Kennesaw State travels to Charleston, S.C. starting Friday, March 14 for a three-game series against The Citadel. All three games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
KSU returns to S. Walter Kelly Sr. Memorial Field Friday, March 21 for the first of a three-game series against Western Kentucky to open Conference USA action.
