CLEARWATER, FLA. 3/18/05 - The Keene State College baseball team split a doubleheader against Bates College at Jack Murphy Stadium in Clearwater Florida on Friday. After losing the first game 3-2, KSC came back to post a 2-0 victory in the nightcap.

In the opener, KSC scored single runs in the first and seventh innings on errors. The Owls had a chance for a big seventh inning, but a failed sacrifice bunt turned into a double play. Mike Masseur (Warwick, R.I.) had two hits in the game.

Jim Slack (Manchester, N.H.), now 1-1, took the loss in relief of starter Rick Stromgren (Keene, N.H.). Stromgren gave up two runs (both unearned) on three hits with four strikeouts and three walks over five and a third innings on the mound.

Pitchers Ryan Kohler (Alstead, N.H.) and Greg Ford (Nashua, N.H.) scattered eight hits and worked out of jams to combine for the shutout win in the second game. Kohler struck out seven and walked two in six innings. Ford came in to get his third save of the spring.

Patrick Austin (Wallingford, Conn.) had an RBI single in the third and Matt Orszulak (Campton, N.H.) had a sacrifice fly in the fifth knocking in John Maryanski (Nashua, N.H.) who led off the inning with a double, to account for the Owl runs.

Keene State (5-3) will play a twin bill against Salve Regina University on Saturday.