Diamond 'Dogs Sweep Twinbill From Kennesaw State, 6-5 (13) And 7-5
April 21, 2007 | Baseball
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Gardner-Webb came up with big hits
and timely pitching Saturday afternoon, sweeping Kennesaw State,
6-5 and 7-5, to take both ends of an A-Sun doubleheader.
The Diamond ‘Dogs (16-27, 6-12 A-Sun) kept themselves in the
A-Sun Tournament picture with the victories. Kennesaw State is not
yet eligible for the league's six-team tournament, which begins on
May 23 in DeLand, Fla.
Gardner-Webb led 2-0 in the top of the ninth in the opener, but saw
Kennnesaw plate five runs in that frame to go up 5-3. GWU then
rallied to tie the score, 5-5, in the bottom of the ninth –
and won the game on Matt Rizzuto's bunt in the bottom of the 13th.
A six-run burst in the nightcap's fifth inning provided the winning
margin and the sweep.
"I am impressed with our team's ability to find ways to win today
in the face of adversity," said GWU head coach Rusty Stroupe. "They
didn't give up. We talked about putting up a good fight before the
games today, and it's pretty obvious we kept battling."
Starter Wes Cogdill was magnificent in the opener, working 7.0
scoreless innings and allowing just five hits in a no decision.
A squeeze bunt by Jon Ahearn drove in Jay McConnell to put GWU up
1-0 in the fifth, and Matt Rizzuto belted his team-leading seventh
home run in the seventh – a solo shot – to push that lead
to 2-0.
Jay Morrow singled to get Kennesaw State's ninth-inning rally
started, and, after reliever Josh Drewery walked Jace Whitmer, the
Owls got a sacrifice bunt to put both men in scoring position. Matt
Dallas then belted a 1-2 fastball up the middle to tie the score,
2-2. An RBI double by Matt Hopkins put the Owls in front, and a
two-run single by Jacob Robbins pushed the lead to 5-2 before
Drewery could get out of the jam.
With righty Kyle Muschara, a transfer from the University of
Florida, on to close in the ninth, Gardner-Webb rallied. Nate
MacDonald and Jamall Kinard led off with singles, and Rizzuto drove
in his second run of the game with a double into right center.
Reliever Justin Edwards then walked the bases loaded, but gave up
the Bulldogs' fourth run on a double play grounder by Drewery.
A sharp single by Ahearn that ricocheted off the KSU third
baseman's glove plated Rizzuto to tie the game, but reliever Bubba
Blalock shut down any more scoring to send the game into extra
innings.
Blalock and GWU reliever Jonathon Ban dueled to a draw until the
bottom of the 13th, when Brock Miller led off with a triple that
hugged the right field line. Blalock fanned MacDonald,
intentionally walked Kinard and gave up Rizzuto's RBI bunt to end
the game.
Ban (4-3) was superb again for the ‘Dogs out of the pen,
allowing just one hit and fanning three in 4.0 innings of relief
work. Ban, who starred at Marietta (Ga.) Walton High, has fanned 12
batters in his last 10 innings of work, allowing just one run in
that span of three appearances.
Rizzuto (3-for-6, HR, 2B, 3 RBI) led Gardner-Webb's 13-hit attack
at the plate, while Daniel Cooke (2-for-4), MacDonald (2-for-5) and
Ahearn (2-for-4) also had multi-hit games.
Blalock (1-5) took the loss for Kennesaw, working 3.2 innings and
scattering five hits (six strikeouts). Starter Casey Rogers allowed
just five hits and two runs in 8.0 innings of work for the
Owls.
Game Two started roughly for the hosts, as starter Ben Campbell
walked home an unearned run in the top of the first to stake
Kennesaw out to a 1-0 lead. Morrow added an RBI hit in the fifth
off of Campbell to push the Owls' lead to 2-0, as KSU starter Dan
Dale continued to mow through the Bulldog bats.
The fifth saw Dale's luck change, however, as GWU took advantage of
two Owl errors to plate six unearned runs and take control of the
game. After Rizzuto and McConnell led off the inning with singles,
Miller moved Rizzuto to third with a deep fly ball.
A fielding error on a Shea Harris grounder allowed Rizzuto to score
and cut the lead to 2-1 – and Dale walked the bases full with
a free pass to Tyler Johnson. Kinard then laced a two-run, two-out
single to center that gave GWU a 3-2 lead.
Kennesaw State went to its bullpen, but reliever Chad Jenkins did
the Owls no favors – walking the bases full again with a
full-count miss that put Cooke on board. An infield single by
MacDonald resulted in the wheels' falling off for the visitors
– as Jenkins hurled the swinging bunt into right field,
clearing the bases and giving Gardner-Webb a 6-2 edge.
Harris belted a solo home run with two outs in the sixth to pad the
lead, 7-2, and Kennesaw State used a Dallas triple in the eighth to
key a two-run rally. Dallas scored on a throwing error to make the
score 7-3, and Robbins drove in the Owls' fourth run with an RBI
groundout before reliever Taylor Brooks could get out of the
jam.
Morrow led off the ninth with another single, and scored on a
two-out error to cut Gardner-Webb's lead to 7-5. An infield single
by Jerome Wooley put the tying run on board, but Brooks got another
ground ball to end the game for his first save of the season.
Campbell (4-4) went 6.1 innings for the win, scattering eight hits
and allowing just one earned run (three strikeouts). Brooks didn't
allow an earned run in 2.2 innings of work for the save, fanning
four and scattering four hits.
Dale (2-2) took the loss, despite not allowing an earned run in 4.2
innings of work (five unearned). The lefty scattered six hits and
fanned four with two walks.
All told, just two earned runs – one for each team – was
scored in the game, as the teams combined for five errors and a
passed ball.
Harris (2-for-4, HR, RBI), led Gardner-Webb's nine-hit attack.
Morrow (3-for-5) paced the Owls 12-hit effort at the plate.
Gardner-Webb will host Southern Conference member Furman on
Wednesday at 3 pm ET. The Bulldogs will travel to Campbell next
weekend in another crucial A-Sun series.
| GAME TWO BOX: GWU 7, Kennesaw St. 5 |
| GAME ONE BOX: GWU 6, Kennesaw St. 5 (13) |
