Led by left-handed senior pitcher Mason Ward, the Owls served Savannah State University its first loss of the season with a final score of 9-1 on Wednesday, Feb. 22.
The scheduled game against Georgia State University for Tuesday was canceled due to forecasted rain, so the Owls resumed regular season non-conference play on the following day against Savannah State.
Ward allowed only two hits through six innings while striking out a career-high nine batters.
“You want your starting pitcher going deep in a ballgame and I thought Mason [Ward] did an excellent job tonight,” said head coach Mike Sansing. “He managed the game very well and it was encouraging to see a great start.”
KSU’s offense showed up strong as well, with every starter reaching base at least once and scoring nine runs on 13 hits. Freshman duo Terence Norman (3-for-4, 2RBI) and Garrett Hodges (3-for-5) combined for six of the Owls’ 13 hits on the evening in their collegiate debut.
Freshman Taylor Wilkes, sophomore Drew Reeves and junior Will Bice all made appearances on the mound, sharing the last three innings — allowing two hits and giving up one run.
The Owls will take a short trip down Interstate 75 on Wednesday, March 1, to take on Georgia Tech at 6 p.m.
