Box Score Kennesaw, Ga. – Friday the 13th proved to be a day of good fortune for the Stetson baseball team as the Hatters defeated Atlantic Sun Conference leading Kennesaw State 6-2 on Friday night at Stillwell Stadium.
The win for Stetson (25-24, 9-7) was the fifth straight in league play for the Hatters, and the fourth straight over the Owls, who fell to 24-25 overall, 12-4 in league play.
The teams will square off on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the second game of the weekend series.
“It was a good win for us,” Hatters coach Pete Dunn said. “We did something we were not able to do early in the year, and that is put some runs on the board early. I wish we could have put a few more up because we had some opportunities early and we left 10 on base.”
Despite leaving seven runners on base over the first five innings, the Hatters were able to put together a picket fence against KSU starter Chris Erwin (2-2) in the first four frames.
Vance Vizcaino and Matt Morales got things started with back-to-back singles to open the game. After Erwin came back to strike out Cory Reid and Kirk Sidwell, John Fussell delivered a single to score Vizcaino and extend his team season-best hit streak to 12 games.
Kevin Fagan pushed the lead to 2-0 in the second inning by blasting a home run to right center. It was his second of the year.
In the third inning it was an error on a Morales ground ball that opened the door. Reid followed with an RBI triple to make it 3-0. KSU answered that run in the home half of the inning, taking advantage of one of a season-high eight walks allowed by Stetson pitchers to force a run across on a double play.
In the fourth inning the Hatters got consecutive two-out hits from Colton Lightner, Vizcaino and Morales, who doubled to make it 4-1.
Stetson starter Mitchell Jordan (5-5) struggled with his command over five innings, walking a season-high five in his five innings of work with five strikeouts. He escaped the third inning with no further damage with a strikeout of Austin Upshaw. The Owls loaded the bases against him in the fourth with one out, thanks to a pair of walks, but Jordan put out the fire with strikeouts of Jordan Getzelman and David Chabut to end the frame.
“There is an old saying about bending, but not breaking, and that sums up Mitchell's night,” Dunn said. “He was right on the cusp of trouble several times, but was able to pitch his way out of it. Erick Wiebke did the same thing, but got a double play, and Josh Thorne got a big double play. We were able to work our way out of some big jams.”
Wiebke's trouble in the seventh was of his own making thanks to a throwing error on a comebacker. After consecutive singles loaded the bases, Josh Thorne came in and walked in a run on four pitches before getting Alex Liquori to bounce one right back at him to start an inning-ending 1-2-3 double play.
After KSU cut the Stetson lead to 4-2, the Hatters were able to put a pair on insurance runs on the board in the eighth inning despite not getting a hit. Erwin hit Austin Hale to start the inning and was lifted for Richard Lovelady. He allowed three walks, committed a balk and had an error committed behind him, allowing a pair of runs.
“We took advantage of their error in the eighth to score another run,” Dunn said. “At this time of the year, when you are trying to get ready for post-season, it doesn't matter how you do it, you just have to capitalize.”
Stetson closer Walker Sheller worked a quiet eighth inning, but wound up in a tight spot in the ninth thanks to a Corey Greeson line drive triple to left that Jacob Koos lost in the lights and a pair of walks to load the bases and bring the potential tying run to the plate.
Sheller responded by getting a strikeout of cleanup hitter Brennan Morgan before Liquori grounded out to end the game.
“Even in the last inning, with a four-run lead, we lost a ball in the lights and then Walker lost the strike zone,” Dunn said. “Next thing you know they have the tying run at the plate with the middle of their order. Sheller found a way to pitch his way out of it.”
Vizcaino, Morales and Sidwell had two hits each to lead the Stetson attack. Grant Williams and Upshaw had two hits each to lead the Owls.
NOTE: Tuesday's make-up game against Florida State at Melching Field, which was originally scheduled for May 4, will have an early start time of 5 p.m. to allowed for FSU travel needs for their final weekend series. Tickets from the originally scheduled date will be honored on Tuesday.
