PHOENIX, AZ 3/17/07 - The Keene State College baseball team concluded its spring week trip to Phoenix with two losses on Saturday.

The Owls lost their first game 12-2 to Johns Hopkins (Md.) University and then suffered tough 12 inning 8-7 second game defeat to nationally ranked College of New Jersey.

KSC finished its trip with a 7-5 record.  "It would have been nice to get a win today, but overall I was pleased with the way we played," said KSC Coach Ken Howe.  "We just have to get back home work on some things, and get ready for our New England schedule."

Johns Hopkins banged out 20 hits against KSC in the opener.  Owls scored their only runs on RBI hit from John Grainger (Keene, N.H.) and a sacrifice fly by Joe Rousseau (Nashua, N.H.).

Starter Rick Stromgren (Keene, N.H.) took the loss for the Owls. He gave up five runs, 11 hits with one strikeout and three walks in his four and a third innings of work on the mound.

The College of New Jersey scored the game-wining run on a passed ball with two outs in the bottom of the 12th inning to edge the Owls in the night cap.
KSC took a 5-1 lead in the fifth inning on a two-run single by Rousseau.

CNJ scored two runs in the fifth and four more in the seventh to take a 7-5 lead.  Rousseau, who finished the game with four RBIs, tied the game (7-7) with a two-run single in the eighth.

The game remained tied, until CNJ pushed across the winning run in the 12th.
Greg Ford (Nashua, N.H.), the Owls fifth pitcher in the game, took the loss.

Jeff Perkins (Dunbarton, N.H.) and Ryan Jones (Nashua, N.H.) had three hits each for KSC in the game.