By Julien Benjamin, Staff Writer
Gabe Friese tossed six innings of one-run ball to lead the Kennesaw State Owls over the University of Connecticut 6-1 on Sunday afternoon.
By taking the Sunday matchup, the Owls (6-4) avoided being swept for the first time this season. “It’s very important to not get swept,” head coach Mike Sansing said. “Our guys played hard today, and defensively we made some good plays. That was our key.”
In his third outing of the season, Friese recorded seven strikeouts against the Huskies (4-5) with just one run allowed. His season ERA dropped to 1.80, good for second best on the team behind teammate Chris Erwin. “I thought I did a good job locating my spots and keeping the ball down,” Friese said. “I made quality pitches.”
Friese’s only blemish was a solo home run allowed to UConn’s left fielder Blake Davey, a former teammate from the Cape Cod League in the summer. “I hit my spot,” Friese said. “But he hit it a lot farther.”
Erwin went 3-for-4 with one RBI at the plate, and threw the final three innings in relief of Friese. Erwin was the recipient of the gold belt on Sunday as he whittled his season ERA to a team-leading 0.84 on the season.
“Erwin is a very good athlete,” Sansing said. “It’s difficult to be good in one area, but he’s got good athleticism to excel on the mound and at the plate.” Erwin is currently hitting .345 in seven games this season.
Offensively, the Owls finally broke out of the doldrums that had plagued the team for their past three games. After scoring seven runs in those matchups combined, KSU put up six runs and eight hits on Sunday.
The Owls held a 2-0 lead entering the sixth inning when UConn cut the lead in half with a solo homerun. The bottom half of the inning, however, is where KSU made their move. The Owls exploded for four runs in the sixth beginning with Erwin’s RBI single to extend their lead to 3-1.
After a pair of Owls reached base, Alex Liquori belted a home run over the left field wall to make it a 6-1 game. Liquori has already doubled his home run total from last season.
KSU only scored in two innings, but the team took advantage of having runners on base, stranding just two runners. “We played basic fundamental ball today,” Sansing said. “Liquori’s home run in the sixth gave us breathing room.”
KSU will have the week off from any games, but Sansing is hoping to hold practice with the team for the first time in nearly three weeks. Due to the winter weather that Kennesaw has seen recently, the Owls have been unable to practice outdoors, which Sansing thinks has affected the team’s ability to play to their full potential in live-game situations. KSU will face off against UAB this weekend in a three-game series at Stillwell beginning on Friday, March 6.
