TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – No. 3 seed Kennesaw State broke a 5-5 tie with eight unearned runs in the 11th inning and won 13-5 over No. 4 seed Georgia Southern to advance to the NCAA Tallahassee Regional final on Sunday.
The Owls will await the winner of Georgia Southern (40-22) and No. 2 seed Alabama, who will square off Sunday at noon in an elimination game. The regional final is set for 6 p.m. with an if-necessary game scheduled for Monday.
Following a one-hour, 52-minute weather delay, the second of the day, Kennesaw State (39-22) tied the game at 5-5 before even a pitch was thrown on a failed pickoff attempt at second base. Jason Richman's throw hit off the runner and skipped out into center field and rolled past Kody Adams, who slipped on the wet and soggy field at Dick Howser Stadium.
The Owls later score the game-winning runs in the 11th inning after sending 12 men to the plate. Eight batters scored, all unearned after Garrett Champan misplayed a bunt near the mound during Bo Way's first at-bat in the frame. Brennan Morgan drove in the winning run with a single to right field. Cornell Nixon extended KSU's lead to three runs with a two-RBI single to left field. Four other Owls drove in runs in the frame before Byron Yelverton struck out Chris McGowan to end the bleeding.
Justin McCalvin tossed three perfect innings to pick up the win. McCalvin (5-3) entered in the ninth inning and struck out a batter a frame, including Dalton Busby to end the game.
Eric Alonzo entered in relief of Ryan Frederick in the ninth inning and struck out two batters to leave the bases loaded. Alonzo (3-4) tossed a 1-2-3 10th inning before running into trouble in the 11th inning. Alonzo took the loss after surrendering eight runs, none earned, on seven hits and two walks.
The contest was the fourth extra-inning game for the Eagles and the third in the past week. GSU played two extra-inning games in the Southern Conference tournament but fell to 2-2 in extra-inning contests.
In a matchup of Friday night starters, neither ace lasted past the fourth inning. Justin Hillyer gave KSU just 1/3 inning and allowed four runs – three earned – on one hit and three walks. Josh Wirsu tossed 3 1/3 innings for the Eagles, his shortest outing since the season opener at Georgia, and allowed two runs on six hits.
The Owls struck first in the contest, scoring in the first inning on a Way single up the middle. GSU answered right back with four runs in the bottom half of the frame. The damage was done with just one hit, a Kody Adams leadoff single. Garren Palmer tied the game on a bases-loaded hit by pitch, and Hunter Thomas gave the Eagles a 2-1 lead on a bases-loaded walk. Chapman made it 3-1 after reaching base on catcher's interference before Chase Griffin hit a sacrifice fly to right field.
The two teams traded runs in the middle innings. KSU scored in the fourth on a Kal Simmons sacrifice fly, and the Eagles answered back with a Thomas RBI double in the fifth, his third double of the regional.
The start of the game was delayed 1:15 due to a weather advisory but no rain fell onto the field until the game was halted due to lightning in the sixth inning.