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KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State starting pitcher
Stephen Janas went seven innings and got plenty of offensive support on Friday night as the Kennesaw State baseball team took a 6-1 win over No. 25 Florida Gulf Coast.
The Owls racked up six runs on 13 hits, three from second baseman
Andy Almonte (Moca, Puerto Rico/Gordon College), as Janas (Marietta, Ga./Lassiter HS) keeps his record perfect at 4-0 and the Owls improve to 18-13 on the season and 7-3 in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
In what was a tight ballgame up until the bottom of the eighth, KSU scored the game’s first run in the first inning as the senior tandem of Almonte and
Bo Way (Brunswick, Ga./Glynn Academy) put together a pair of hits for a 1-0 lead.
The Eagles (18-8, 4-3 A-Sun) tied things up in the top half of the seventh, scoring one run on four hits before an inning ending double-play. But the Owls answered, scoring the go-ahead run in the bottom half as
Kal Simmons (Nashville, Ga./Berrien HS) drove in
Kody Belcher (Augusta, Ga./Lakeside HS) for the 2-1 lead.
Relief pitcher
Justin McCalvin (Leesburg, Ga./Lee County HS) replaced Janas in the eight, picking up a bases loaded strikeout to work out of the jam before the KSU offense took over, putting across four runs in the bottom of the eighth.
Way led off the productive inning with a single followed by a walk from
Chris McGowan (Lawrenceville, Ga./Collins Hill HS) as catcher
Max Pentecost (Winder, Ga./Winder-Barrow HS) drove in both with a two RBI single.
Jacob Bruce (Woodstock, Ga./Woodstock HS) brought in Pentecost before scoring himself on an
Alex Liquori (Brooks, Ga./Whitewater HS) single.
James Connell (Roswell, Ga./Georgia Perimeter College) came in to pitch the ninth inning for the Owls, striking out two to clinch the win for Kennesaw State.
Janas allowed just one run in his seven innings while striking out six and walking just one.
Almonte led both teams with his three hits while Hart, Pentecost and Liquori each picked up a pair as the KSU offense handed Florida Gulf Coast starter Ricky Knapp his first loss of the season, picking up eight hits and a pair of runs on the righty.
The Owls capitalized on clutch hitting during the win as well, picking up three of their six runs with two outs on the board and going 6-for-11 from the plate with runners in scoring position.
Kennesaw State batters also did not strikeout once during the ballgame in 31 at bats.
Game two of the three-game series will be tomorrow, April 6, at 2 p.m. ET in Stillwell Stadium as
Travis Dean (Boston, Mass./Newton South HS) takes the mound.
Keep up with Owls baseball all season by following KSU on Twitter
@KSUOwlNation and
@KSUOwlsBaseball, or by liking Kennesaw State Owls on Facebook.
Kennesaw State University is celebrating 30 years of intercollegiate athletics during the 2012-13 academic year.
Around the A-Sun
East Tennessee State 5, Northern Kentucky 2
