MARIETTA, Ga. – Overcoming a four-run deficit, Kennesaw State (9-13, 1-0 CUSA) notched its first Conference USA win in the 9-8 triumph over Western Kentucky (20-2, 0-1 CUSA) Friday night at S. Walter Kelly Sr. Memorial Field.
Ryan Gold strung together a show-stopping performance, shoving for five innings of one-run ball while accruing seven punch outs, a team-high on the season.
After allowing a six-run WKU spurt in the fourth inning, The Owls fired back with six unanswered runs to nab the lead in the eighth. They were put ahead by a
Jackson Chirello double as he clobbered it into right field, giving the Owls a two-run advantage.
How It Happened
Cooper Williams fired up the bats early as he hammered a single past the WKU first baseman in the first inning, scoring two runs for the Owls. The ball slingshot off the defender's glove into shallow right field. The WKU second base threw the ball to third base in an attempt to throw out
Donovan Cash, but the throw went awry, and Cash crossed home plate.
Back-to-back productive innings gave the Owls a 3-0 lead in the second stanza. An
Aaron Posey double down the left field line began a string of situational outs for the Owls as
Shamaar McDuffie and
Nate Anderson both flew out, advancing Posey all the way home.
The Hilltoppers struck back in the top of the third inning with back-to-back one-out doubles, bringing the game within two runs.
Western Kentucky exploded for six runs in the top of the fourth inning, jumping to a 7-3 advantage.
Cash halted WKU's unanswered runs with a two-out double in the home half of the fourth, bringing home Cole for the second time.
To end the fourth inning, William's was removed from the game after coming up lame running through first base.
Hudson Mimbs substituted for Williams.
Wesley Alig cut the deficit to two runs with a 383-foot solo long ball to left-center in the fifth inning.
The Black and Gold continued to chip into the WKU lead --
Aaron Posey registered a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring
Hudson Mimbs from third base in the seventh inning.
Mimbs made his impact felt as he evened the score 7-7 with an RBI single to right field, scoring Anderson from second base in the eighth inning.
The table was set for
Jackson Chirello to rip the lead back for KSU. In the eighth, the right fielder lasered a double into right central, scoring one run while adding another with an error from center field. The extra-base hit catapulted the Owls to a 9-7 lead, scoring six unanswered runs.
A solo jack from WKU chopped the Owl's lead in half to 9-8 in the eighth.
Garnering his seventh strikeout of the day, Gold got a swing-and-miss strike three to secure the Owl's 9-8 win.
Spotlight Performances
- They handed WKU pitcher Jack Bennett his first earned runs of the season. He was one of two pitchers in the NCAA with a 0.00 ERA (among qualifiers) coming into the game.
- Cash entered the top 10 in all-time DI career hits with his first-inning single. The senior now has 216 and for 10th. His RBI brought his career total to 146, just six away from breaking Ronnie Freeman's DI program record of 151.
- Mimbs made his third appearance of the season, tallying his first run scored, hit and RBI.
- Gold was astounding in his relief appearance, going five innings strong with his seven strikeouts tying a team-high this season.
- The Owls handed WKU only their second loss of the season (20-2).
- Cole and Cash both sliced three hits apiece.
- With runners in scoring position, KSU was 6-11 (.545).
Next Up
Kennesaw State is back at it Saturday at 4 p.m. for game two of the series.
