KENNESAW, Ga. – UNF baseball homered three times and five Ospreys notched multi-hit games but the Kennesaw State (15-7, 5-0 ASUN) bats replied with 17 runs as North Florida (9-15, 1-4 ASUN) fell in game two of three with the Owls, 17-9, Saturday, March 26.
Isaiah Byars homered on the first pitch of the game, kick-starting a four-hit game for the infielder. Abraham Sequera and Justin Holmes also launched home runs, while Cade Westbrook and Grant Grodi joined with multi-hit games.
UNF has tallied double-digit hits in seven consecutive games, its longest such streak since March of 2018.
KSU 17, UNF 9
Pitchers of Record
Win: Kolby Johnson (1-0)
Loss: Zach Chappell (0-4)
Save: Jared Rine (4)
Line Scores
UNF | 9R, 16H, 4E, 8 LOB
KSU | 17R, 20H, 3E, 8 LOB
Behind the Line Score
- Isaiah Byars took the first pitch of the game out of the park with a solo home run to right center.
- KSU tied it and took the lead, 2-1, in the second with some small ball. A single, walk, sac bunt and sac fly scored one. Josh Hatcher chopped one to Grant Grodi at second base, but Hatcher beat the throw to first to allow KSU to score another.
- Abraham Sequera gave UNF the lead again with one swing of the bat, belting a three-run home run to right center from the right side of the plate in the third. Byars set the table with a double on an 0-2 pitch to leadoff the inning before Brock Edge reached on an error off a sac bunt.
- UNF wasn’t done scoring in the third. Cade Westbrook doubled on a 3-2 offering, took third on Aidan Sweatt’s sac bunt and scored via Dallen Leach’s RBI groundout.
- Leach stole second and scored thanks to Grodi’s single up the middle, completing a five-run third.
- UNF tacked on two more in the fourth for an 8-2 lead. Byars started the scoring again, singling to center and scoring on Edge’s triple, a chopper over Donovan Cash at first base.
- Westbrook laced a one-hopper to Cash Young at first base before he got Edge in a rundown between third and home. Westbrook advanced to second on the rundown, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on Aidan Sweatt’s RBI infield single.
- KSU tried to score its third run in the fourth on a wild pitch, but catcher Dallen Leach tossed it on the mark to Zach Chappell for the out at the plate.
- Six hits capped off by a two-run home run to right center from Hatcher vaulted KSU ahead, 9-8, in the fifth. Four of those runs came with two outs. Hatcher’s home run came just pitches after a ball was ruled just foul on what would have been a home run.
- UNF pitcher Clayton Boroski made an amazing diving catch on a bunt attempt before doubling up the runner at second to limit damage in the sixth. KSU did score a run after a trio of hits to start the inning.
- Justin Holmes tagged a solo home run to right field in the seventh, cutting the deficit to one.
- Errors extended KSU’s seventh, allowing the Owls to score four more for a 14-9 Kennesaw State lead.
- KSU’s Hatcher completed the cycle with a two-RBI triple as part of a three-run eighth, extending KSU’s lead.
Statistical Leaders
KSU
- Josh Hatcher | 4-for-6, 5 RBI, 3R, hit for the cycle
- Cash Young | 2-for-3, 2R, 3RBI, 2BB
- Hudson Mimbs | 1-for-3, 3RBI, 2R
UNF
- Isaiah Byars | 4-for-5, HR, 3R, 2B
- Abraham Sequera | 3-for-5, HR, 3RBI
- Grant Grodi | 2-for-4, RBI
- Cade Westbrook | 2-for-5, 2R, 2B
- Justin Holmes | 2-for-4, R, RBI
Notes
- Sequera reached 10-career home runs.
- North Florida knocked KSU starter John Bezdicek out after 2.1 innings, ushering him into his shortest start of the season. Bezdicek allowed six runs, five earned.
- UNF has notched double-digit hits in seven-straight games.
- Edge had his hits in consecutive at-bats streak snapped at nine.
- It was UNF’s third multi-home run game of the year.
- North Florida’s seven-straight games with double-digit hits ties its longest streak since doing so between March 17 and March 29.
- Byars has tallied 11 multi-hit games this year and a pair of four-hit games.
- It was UNF’s first three-home run game of the season.
- UNF tallied three home runs in the same game for the first time since defeating Kennesaw State May 27, 2021 in ASUN postseason play.
- Eight of UNF’s nine starting bats recorded at least one hit.
Up Next
The series finale gets going at 1 p.m. tomorrow.
