KEENE, N.H. – The Keene State College baseball team broke a 2-2 tie by scoring five times in the fifth and then proceeded to pile on eight more runs over the next two innings as they rolled to a 15-6 victory over Fitchburg State University in non-conference action on a nice Tuesday afternoon at the Owl Athletic Complex.

Records

• Keene State:  3-13
• Fitchburg State:  3-18

Postgame Interview with Coach Blood (click here)

How It Happened
The Owls got multiple-hit and multiple-RBI efforts from four different people as they used a 15-run outburst – their highest home output in eight years since a 16-15 victory over the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth on May 2, 2014 – to rebound from Sunday's home opening loss.  Overall, KSC had seven different people drive in a run, including two each from Brendan Eaton, Wyatt Daft, Nathaniel Hudson, and Joe Barter.  Eaton finished 4-for-6 with a pair of doubles, two RBI, and three runs scored, extending a hitting streak to four games.  Barter homered in a 1-for-3 effort where he also reached base on a walk, hitting his second long ball of the season and seventh in the last 36 games dating back to last season.  Pearson (2-4, RBI, BB, 3 R, SB) and Daft (2-4, 2 RBI, R, BB) each reached base three times, with the latter posting his fourth two-hit performance in his last seven games as he settles into the leadoff spot in the Owls' lineup by reaching base at a .489 clip.  Daft has four runs batted in in the last two games and has walked nine times in 10 games on the season.

Keene State wore down a cavalcade of seven Fitchburg State pitchers, with the first five all being scored upon.  After falling into a 1-0 hole in the top of the first inning, the Owls jumped in front in the second with an uplifting two-out, two-run single from Hudson that plated Trent Mayer and Liam Conley, who had both worked free passes earlier in the inning.  The Falcons responded, tying the game just two batters into the third on Connor Morehouse's double, but KSC starter Phil Nichols (1-2) settled in, retiring the next two.  He was put in a jam in the fourth thanks to a pair of errors to start the frame, but wound up striking out the side and pitched into the sixth in a solid effort that provided his team a chance to win.  The Owl freshman allowed two runs and seven hits over 5.2 innings, walking two and striking out eight.  His team provided him some offensive support with a big fifth inning that changed the complexion of the game, as KSC sent 10 batters to the plate while scored five times to go in front 7-2 and put Nichols in line for a win.  Daft singled to kick off the uprising, moved to second on a throwing error, and then scored on the hot-hitting Eaton's double.  Pearson's bouncer to short with two outs four batters later appeared as though it would end the inning with it still just being a 3-2 game, but FSU shortstop Devin Lorae's throw was too high and scored two.  A wild pitch and a strange first-and-third double steal sequence where Pearson ended up scoring tacked on two more for the Owls and made it a five-run lead through five.

Following a scoreless sixth from Nichols and reliever Dean Ruzich, KSC put a second consecutive five-spot on the board to blow the game wide open.  Hudson led off with a perfectly placed bunt single to third before Eaton followed with a base hit of his own.  Jason Bickford and Sam Boyer then combined to walk three of the next four hitters – two of which forced home runs – to make it a 9-2 game, and the Owls were not finished there, as Conley grounded an RBI base hit to left and Daft lined a two-run single to center to make it 12-2.

Fitchburg recorded six of their 13 hits over the next two innings and scored four times, but Keene State was well on their way to a win at that point.  Leading 12-4 in the bottom of the seventh, the Owls tacked on three more as the middle of their order came through again, with Eaton doubling again and Barter connecting for a two-run shot to left.
Nichols' pitching victory was the first of his young career.

Robert Clarke (2-2) took the loss for the Falcons, going 2.2 innings in relief and allowing five runs (one earned) on two hits.  He walked one, hit two, and whiffed four.  Morehouse finished 4-for-5 with an RBI and Silas Thomas 2-for-5 with two runs, but Fitchburg lost their fourth straight and fell to 0-4 against Little East Conference opponents in 2022.

Around the Horn

• Eaton is hitting .304 with 13 RBI over a 12-game span dating back to March 13.
• Hudson and Daft, the first two hitters in today's KSC lineup, have combined for a .351 average, eight doubles, 13 walks (to just 11 strikeouts), and 12 runs batted in this season.
• Nichols has 24 strikeouts over his first 22.1 collegiate innings (eight appearances, two starts).
• The Owls' victory snaps a two-game losing streak in the series.  KSC, who had been outscored 19-6 in those defeats, has now scored 58 runs combined in their last four wins over Fitchburg, reaching double-digits in every game.

Up Next

• Keene State visits Western New England University (9-8) on Thursday, April 7 for a 3:30 p.m. start.
• Fitchburg State hosts Salem State University (10-7, 2-1 MASCAC) for a single conference game on Friday (April 8) before traveling to face the Vikings for two on Saturday.