STATESBORO - The 24
th-ranked Georgia Southern baseball team won a back-and-forth affair, 9-6, against Kennesaw State on Wednesday night at J.I. Clements Stadium to split the season series.
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Kennesaw State (25-16) got on the board first with a home run in the top of the first inning and tacked on two more in the top of the third inning. Georgia Southern (28-13) responded with two in the bottom of the third inning when
Christian Avant brought home
Jesse Sherrill and
Sam Blancato on a two-RBI single.
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The Owls would plate two more in the top of the fourth inning, and then in the bottom half of the inning,
Austin Thompson would slam a two-run homer to left field to cut the deficit again to one run. The Eagles would add two more in the bottom of the fifth inning with a
Noah Ledford single to plate Sherril and then
Noah Searcy brought home Avant on a sacrifice fly to give the Eagles their first lead of the night at 6-5.
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Kennesaw State would tie the game in the top of the seventh inning with a sacrifice fly, but Ledford would put the Eagles ahead for good with a two-run bomb to left field off the video board. Blancato would plate an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning while reaching on a sacrifice bunt to give the Eagles the 9-6 lead.
Ben Johnson closed it down in the ninth inning to earn the save.
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QUICK HITS
- Danny Madden earned his first win of the season with 1.1 innings of scoreless baseball. He did not give up a hit, only walked one, and struck out two.
- Ben Johnson collected his second save of the season, pitching through the top of the ninth inning with a 9-6 lead. He only allowed one hit and struck out one.
- Austin Thompson briefly held the title of home run leader for the Eagles with his team-leading ninth homer in the bottom of the fourth inning, but Noah Ledford's homer in the bottom of the seventh inning tied them up at nine each.
- Austin Thompson's single in the bottom of the eighth was his 200th career hit.
- Avant, Ledford, Thompson, and Brown all lead the Eagles offense with two hits each. Ledford had three RBI, while Avant and Thompson both had two.
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UP NEXT
The Eagles will host Coastal Carolina for a three-game Sun Belt Conference series starting on Friday, April 29. First pitch from J.I. Clements Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m.
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