By Julien Benjamin, Staff Writer
Propelled by a three-run second inning, Kennesaw State defeated in-state rival Mercer in Macon 8-2.
First baseman Colin Bennett led the Owls (3-1) going 2-for-4 with two RBI’s and a three runs scored.
Alex Liquori led off the third inning with his first home run of the season, and Justin Motley and Kal Simmons would both contribute RBI singles to give the Owls a 3 run advantage which would be just enough to edge the Bears (1-4).
After starting pitcher AJ Moore pitched a scoreless inning in the bottom of the third, Bennett hit his second homerun of the season with a shot over the left field wall. “It’s a little different game with the baseball this year,” head coach Mike Sansing said. “There are a lot of home runs being hit across college baseball, so it was good to see Colin and Alex hit home runs.”
Freshman Moore had an impressive first collegiate start, collecting nine strikeouts in 4.1 innings of work. “I was very impressed with what he did,” Sansing said. “I’m not surprised though. He did well in intra-squad play, so it’s good to see him succeed against outside competition.” Moore won the championship belt for KSU for retiring 12 of the first 13 batters he faced.
Chris Erwin picked up his first win of the season, after pitching 3.2 innings in relief of Moore. Erwin struck out six batters, helping the Owls reach a season-high 16 strikeouts, and six 1-2-3 innings. “Those 1-2-3 innings are important and to get that many short innings was great to have tonight,” Sansing said. “It makes the game go a lot smoother.”
Freshman Tony Dibrell worked a scoreless inning in his first collegiate appearance and helped to solidify the back end of KSU’s pitching staff. “Those guys were phenomenal today,” Sansing said of his pitching staff. “Very dominant pitching from all three pitchers, they pounded the strike zone.” Dibrell picked up his first collegiate strikeout when he retired Mercer designated hitter Tyler Homer with a swinging third strike.
The KSU offense scored big early and coasted to a comfortable finish to end the matchup. The Owls recorded double digit hits, with five extra base hits, and a stolen base each from Cornell Nixon and Motley. So far in the 2015 season, KSU has been able to put together all three aspects of their game, and have found success as a result. “We didn’t play at our best today,” coach Sansing said. “But we scored some big runs early, found success on the mound, and played good enough defensively to win.”
The Owls now travel to Alabama to play Jacksonville State in a three game weekend series. Jordan Hillyer is expected to pitch on Friday, Travis Bergen on Saturday and Gabe Friese on Sunday.
