Kennesaw State holds off Army 9-8 to stay alive

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) — Josh Hatcher hit two home runs and Nick Hassan’s two-run single in the seventh inning was the difference as Kennesaw State stayed alive in the Austin Regional on Saturday with a 9-8 win that eliminated Army.

Both teams used big innings to stay in the game. Army (31-25) had a five-run fourth, with Cam Cerruto and Carter Macias driving in two runs each, for a 6-2 lead. Hatcher hit his second home run — a two-run shot — as Kennesaw State (36-27) scored four in the fifth to tie it.

The game was tied at 7 entering the bottom of the seventh when Cash Young and Spencer Hanson earned walks and Brayden Eidson advanced them with a sacrifice bunt. Tanner Gresham replaced Sean Dennehy (5-3) on the mound and Hassan slapped his first pitch into center field.

Nathan Holler (6-5) who took over in the seventh got the win and Harry Cain came on in the eighth, when Army scored a run, to end the threat and pick up his first save.

The Owls advance to a loser-out game against the loser of Saturday’s late game between Southern Miss and LSU.

___

More AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25