DELAND, Fla. - A ferocious late rally for Kennesaw State baseball (16-12, 6-4 Atlantic Sun Conference) came up just short Friday night, 8-7, to Stetson (21-9, 8-2 ASUN) inside Melching Field at Conrad Park.
DH
Spencer Hanson had his fourth three-hit game of the season and reached base in all five of his trips to the plate in the series-opening showdown. He launched his fourth homer of the 2024 season to get the Black and Gold within one in the eighth inning, getting KSU close to completing its comeback after being down 8-1 in the sixth.
It only took senior
Brayden Eidson three frames to post his 12th multi-hit game of the season, collecting two singles. He stole second after both base hits.
Donovan Cash,
Jackson Chirello and freshman
Shamaar McDuffie joined the two with multi-hit outings of their own. Third baseman
Isaac Bouton joined Hanson with a homer of his own and marked the first run scored for KSU in the contest.
RHP
Daniel Powell pitched a stellar 2.1 frames of relief, allowing zero earned runs that allowed the Owl offense to score six unanswered runs in innings six thru eight.
Bouton's no-doubter to left put KSU on the board in the fifth. Stetson scored seven in the first four frames; the homer cut the deficit to 7-1.
He leads Kennesaw State with eight jacks in 2024. The Hatters made it 8-1 in the bottom of the fifth.
Cash led off the sixth with a single, followed by another single from
Hudson Mimbs. With those two on, Chirello doubled to right, sending Cash home and cutting into the deficit, 8-2.
McDuffie had Mimbs and Chirello on with none out and launched a double off the left-field wall, scoring them both and putting Kennesaw State within four, 8-4.
Both Mimbs and Chirello drew bases-loaded walks in the top of the seventh to make it a two-run game, 8-6.
Hanson was up with two outs in the top of the eighth and launched a 1-1 pitch to left center slice the deficit to one, 8-7.
Stetson managed to hold on for the one-run victory.
GAME NOTES
- Hanson increased his reached-base streak to a team-high eight-straight games on a first-inning walk and posted his ninth multi-hit game of 2024.
- His third-inning single improved his hit streak to a season-high five games.
- Cash has a hit in each of the last four games.
- Mimbs increased his hit streak to a season-high three games.
- The KSU offense drew five walks in the first five frames.
UP NEXT
KSU and Stetson gear up for game two of the series Saturday, April 6 at 6:30 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.
