With a lot of this weekend’s action being most teams’ final weekend of the regular season, many teams started weekend series Thursday:
Strike one: Marshall makes Conference USA race interesting
Marshall defeated Old Dominion 5-2 Thursday and is now tied for first place in the Conference USA standings with Southern Miss. Marshall’s designated hitter Ryne Dean went two-for-three with a three-run homer and finished with four RBI’s total in the game. The Thundering Herd’s Chase Boster pitched a complete game en route to his seventh win of the season and allowed two runs on five hits.
Strike two: Kennesaw State keeps cruising
Kennesaw State beat Florida Gulf Coast 7-2 Thursday, and the Owls extended their conference lead in the Atlantic Sun to two games over Jacksonville and North Florida. Kennesaw State is now 15-4 in Atlantic Sun play, and the Owls are 27-25 on the season.
Kennesaw State has now won seven of their last nine games. The Atlantic Sun’s automatic bid into the NCAA tournament goes to the conference tournament champion.
Strike three: Hudson shuts out Arkansas
Mississippi State ace Dakota Hudson improved his record to 9-3 on the season Thursday with a complete game performance in a 7-0 win over Arkansas. Hudson struck out 10 Razorback hitters and allowed just five hits and two walks on his way to a complete game shutout.
Bulldogs’ leadoff man Jake Mangum was five-for-five at the plate and scored three of Mississippi State’s seven runs. Mississippi State improved their record to 19-9 in SEC play and 38-14-1 overall.
