MESA, AZ. 3/19/10 – The Keene State College baseball team split two seven inning games against Augsburg (Minn.) College at Gene Autry Sports Complex in Mesa, Arizona on Friday.

The Owls, now 6-5 on their spring week trip, lost the first game 13-6.  They came back to take the nightcap 8-5.

The Auggies jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning of the second game.  Keene State answered with six runs in the bottom of the frame to go up 6-4. Sophomores Larry Longo (Londonderry, N.H.) and Kyle Morrill (Auburn, N.H.) had back-to-back two-run singles to give KSC the lead.  Morrill has a team-leading 17 RBIs on the trip.

KSC added two more runs in the second on an RBI double from senior Anthony Cipolla (Glastonbury, Conn.) and a single up the middle from junior Tyler DiPrato (Suffield, Conn.).

Taking over from starter Eric Perrault (Salem, N.H.) in the second, junior Corey Vogt (Suffield, Conn.) pitched four strong innings to pick-up the win. He gave up just two hits with one strikeout. Sophomore Dan Wogksch (Bethel, Conn.) came in to notch his third save of the season. He faced five batters and fanned two of them.

Wogksch said he's enjoying the closer role with the team.  “You have to be a little crazy because all the pressure is on you,” he said.  “You have to relax and throw strikes.”

KSC Coach Ken Howe was pleased that his team was able to bounce back from the first game loss.  “It was good to get out there and answer in the first inning,” he said.  “It was a good way to bounce back and hopefully get ready for our last game on Saturday.”    

Keene State had 12 hits in the game.  Senior Keith Patnode (Keene, N.H.), Longo, Cipolla and DiPrato each had two hits.

The Owls couldn't dig themselves out of a 13-3 hole in the opener.  KSC came back to get three runs in the sixth on RBI hits from Morrill, Patnode, and junior Vinny Ganz (Waterbury, Conn.), but were able to catch the Auggies.

Junior Kyle Davis (Rochester, N.H.) started for the Owls and took the loss.

Keene State wraps up its trip with a nine inning game against Carleton (Minn.) College on Saturday.