Sophomore Jacob Koos delivered a two-run double to ignite a six-run sixth inning for the Stetson Hatters on Saturday afternoon at Melching Field, leading to 10-4 victory over Kennesaw State.
 
The win salvaged the final game of the ASUN series for Stetson (16-22, 6-3) and leaves the Hatters tied with the Owls (17-19, 6-3) for third place in the league race behind red-hot Jacksonville (22-16, 8-1) and North Florida (26-14, 7-2).
 
The two keys for Stetson's success on Saturday was two-out hitting and solid performances out of the bullpen from freshman Ryan Stark (2-2) and senior Tyler Keller.
 
"Nine of the 10 runs we scored today came when there were two outs, and that was nice," Hatters coach Steve Trimper said. "We were able to keep innings going after getting runners on. Koos got the one to put us up 6-4, but we also capitalized on some mistakes and got other big hits.
 
Any thoughts of no-hitters or perfect games came to an end in the second inning when Hatters starter Logan Gilbert allowed a pair of walks before surrendering a two-out RBI single to Owls sophomore shortstop David Chabut.
 
"Gilbert had great stuff out there again," Trimper said. "His fastball had great life on it, but he just wore down a little. He kept us in the game early. In the third inning he was already at 70 pitches. He had a lot of three ball counts because he had a hard time figuring out the strike zone. All you want is some consistency so that you can figure out the zone, but it was a little inconsistent today, both ways."
 
Stetson answered in the bottom of the second when Jack Gonzalez led off with a double. He was sacrificed over to third with an error that allowed Jorge Arenas to reach base. Austin Bogart was hit by a pitch to load the bases before Kirk Sidwell grounded into a double play. Gonzalez scored on the play to tie the game.
 
The Hatters tacked on three runs in the third inning. Austin Hale and Mike Spooner got things started with two-out singles before Gonzalez lined his second double of the day into the right field corner, scoring both runners. After Arenas drew a walk. Bogart singled to left, driving Gonzalez home for a 4-1 lead.
 
The Owls came right back, scoring a pair of runs in the fifth to chase Gilbert and added another in the sixth to tie the game at 4-4. A Corey Greeson single drove in Grant Williams and Austin Upshaw followed with a single to score Taylor Allum.
 
With Ryan Stark on the mound for the Hatters in the sixth, the Owls knotted the score when Williams singled home Chabut.
 
"I think Ryan was a little tired because he has been throwing a lot, but he got out there and hit his spots and kept them off balance enough to grind out some innings," Trimper said.
 
Stetson came back in the bottom of the sixth to regain the lead off Owls reliever Jordan Krueger(1-1). After Bogart was hit by a pitch for the second time, Colton Lightner singled to right. Koos then delivered his two-run double down the right field line to put the Hatters in front 6-4.
 
Brock Turner came in to pitch for the Owls and, after walking Hale, a passed ball allowed Koos to score before he surrendered an RBI single to Mike Spooner to score Hale from second.
 
"Mike is a fun player to coach," Trimper said. "He plays hard and, when he is focused, he does a good job. We talked before batting practice today about some of the things he was doing wrong. We worked on the tee in the cages and he had a better understanding and applied that today."
 
Spooner led the Hatters with three hits in the game and scored a pair of runs.
 
An intentional walk to Gonzalez was followed by a high fly ball off the bat of Arenas behind second base. The Owls had some miscommunication on the play, and the ball fell untouched, allowed Spooner to score. Gonzalez then added the final run, scoring on a wild pitch.
 
"The thing about Jack is, if you elevate the ball, he is going to put the barrel of the bat on it," Trimper said. "When pitchers try to attack him, he attacks back, and I like that."
 
Stark allowed just that one run on four hits in his 2.2 innings of work to get his second win. He did not allow a walk and didn't strike anyone out. Tyler Keller came on in the eighth and retired all five batters he faced to wrap up the win.
 
"It was nice to end this series with a win because it keeps us tied with this team, and they have a very good club," Trimper said. "They won the regular season last year and have a lot of guys back. We played these guys tough in two of the three games, and it makes this next week a pivotal week.
 
"We go to Florida State, which has a great program, and then to Upstate, which will be a battle. We will have to get after them because we are coming down to the last four weeks and you need to grab as many wins as you can to make sure you are in the tournament, and then worry about seeding."
 
Stetson was originally scheduled to play two games at Florida State this week, but the game that was scheduled for Tuesday was cancelled because Florida State had too many games scheduled. The game on Wednesday will have a 6 p.m. first pitch and will be broadcast on ESPN3.
 
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.