Kennesaw State Baseball (16-18) played Liberty (17-18) in a three game series on April 15, losing 1-2.
Liberty University won the first game on Friday evening 6-2 in the 11th inning. The Owls maintained the lead until the top of the ninth when Nathan Keeter advanced to third base on a wild pitch, then Nick Hassan for KSU committed an error allowing Keeter to score.
With the game tied through the ninth inning, an extra two innings were played allowing Liberty to gain four runs in the top of the 11th. The Owls could not make a comeback in the bottom of the 11th, ending the night with a double play on Chris Cole and Spencer Hanson.
A doubleheader followed on Saturday with the Owls winning the first game 5-3. Nick Zegna pitched through seven innings allowing two runs and four walks in addition to three strikeouts. Makenzie Stills ended the game in the top of the ninth inning by catching a shallow fly ball hit by Victor Castillo.
The next game was a battle of offense that ended up with the Flames winning 9-1. This game seemed to be a fair fight through the sixth inning with the score being 3-2 Flames at that point. In the top of the seventh inning, Tanner Franklin of KSU pitched for Braden Osbolt, letting Liberty score three runs for a score of 6-1. Luke Cooper relieved Franklin following those runs, however, allowed the Flames to score three more runs, making the final score 9-1.
As head coach Ryan Coe looks into ASUN championship play, this series of conference games allowed him to find the best fielding and lineup following the graduation of shortstop Tyler Simon, infielder Cash Young and center fielder Josh Hatcher.
After the Owls became ASUN champions last season, they have struggled with finding a third baseman and shortstop to fill the gap after the seniors left. Freshman Jackson Chirello has proven himself as a center fielder and third baseman, however, this weekend he found himself in left and center field as Hudson Mimbs played third base. Chirello has been consistent as a batter and outfielder with a batting average of .252.
With Coe looking for a leader of the Owls, Stills has stepped up and made amazing plays every weekend. Stills is classified as a right handed pitcher but has played second baseman for most of the season. Stills has a batting average of .278 and has pitched three games.
Another leader Coe has looked towards is Brayden Eidson who has played as an outfielder, infielder and pitcher. This season Eidson has pitched 30.1 innings with a .340 batting average.
KSU will travel on the road to Nashville, TN on May 5 to compete against ASUN rivals Lipscomb. The contest will start at 7 p.m. and will be available to stream on ESPN+.
