PHOENIX, AZ. 3/14/09 - The Keene State College baseball team began its spring week trip by splitting a slugfest doubleheader against the College of New Jersey at South Mountain Community College in Phoenix on Saturday. Both teams were ranked in national preseason polls.

            After wining the opening game 17-4, the Owls dropped the second game, 16-12 in 10 innings.

            Playing on a pristine field under blue skies and temperatures in the high 80's, the Owls had a combined 29 runs and 40 hits in the two games.

            "Anytime you have 40 hits in a doubleheader you should win both games," said KSC Coach Ken Howe.  "We got the job done offensively, but didn't throw strikes and didn't defend well in the second game."

            In addition to giving up 13 hits, the Owls committed four errors and KSC pitchers issued 14 walks in the night cap.

            Keene State came off the plane with blazing bats in the opening game scoring its 17 runs on 19 hits.

            Leading 6-4, the Owls scored five runs on five hits in the seventh inning.  Juniors Keith Patnode (Keene, N.H.) and Anthony Cipolla (Glastonbury, Conn.) had two-run singles, and freshman Cody Callahan (Seekonk, Mass.) had a run-scoring hit.

            KSC batted around and plated six more runs in the eighth with Callahan belting a three-run home run.

            Callahan finished the game with four hits and a school record eight RBIs in the game.  Senior Jamie Chevalier (Amherst, N.H.) also had four hits, including two doubles while sophomore Bobby Doyon (Keene, N.H.) chipped in with three singles.

            Freshman Jeff Pelkey (Fitzwilliam, N.H.), the Owls starter, picked up the win.  He went six innings, giving up four runs, scattering eight hits, with one strikeout and two walks.

            In the second game, the Owls took an early 3-0 lead and led 5-4 in the fifth on RBI singles by Patnode and sophomore Tyler DiPrato (Suffield, Conn.).

            The College of New Jersey scored two runs in the fifth and eighth innings and four more in the ninth to go up 12-6.

            Keene State came back to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth inning, scoring six runs on five hits.  Doyon and Callahan had RBI doubles, and senior Jeff Perkins (Dunbarton, N.H.) delivered a bases-clearing triple over the head of the centerfielder to tie the score.  With one out, the Owls stranded Perkins at third base.

            That would prove costly as CNJ scored four runs in the 10th inning.

            Doyon led KSC's 21 hit attack with five hits, three singles and two doubles while Perkins and Chevalier had three hits each.

         Sophomore pitcher Ryan Boden (Keene, N.H.) took the loss for the Owls.

            Keene State plays Brockport (N.Y.) State in a pair of seven-inning games on Sunday.