Bergen, Kennesaw State Shock Alabama in Game One
By Patrik Nohe
Photo Credit- Patrik Nohe
With two of the more high-powered offenses in college baseball squaring off in game one of the NCAA Tallahassee Regional on Friday afternoon, fans figured they were in store for a high-scoring affair.
Not so fast, my friend.
Rather than lighting up the scoreboard, Kennesaw State and Alabama combined for just nine hits and one run as KSU edged the Tide 1-0 to advance to the winner’s bracket of the NCAA Tallahassee Regional.
“We’ve been swinging pretty well. [Over] the last half of the season — I mentioned yesterday — our average has been up 20 points the second half of the year, so we have scored some runs, Alabama was [supposedly] going to score some runs, but yeah I don’t think you would have predicted a 1-0 score there,” said Kennesaw State head coach Mike Sansing.
The Owls were led by a dominant pitching performance by Travis Bergen (8-4), who went 8.2 IP, giving up just five hits and no runs while striking out three and walking one.
“They were swinging early in the count and I was able to locate the fastball pretty well,” said Bergen after the game, as he sat with a faux-championship belt draped over his shoulder at his team’s press conference.
“We came up with [the belt] about six or eight weeks ago and I guess the player that competes the most or has the best game… that guy gets the belt. Today I was fortunate enough to get it.”
Depending on how the rest of the weekend plays out for the Owls, Bergen may keep the belt too. The sophomore left-hander pitched into the ninth inning, coming out only so Justin McCalvin could record the final out for his 15th save of the season. Behind Bergen’s effort, Kennesaw State’s bullpen was asked to throw just four pitches on Friday and should be plenty fresh for their winner’s bracket game on Saturday.
The Owls plated the game’s lone run when they loaded the bases and used a Kal Simmons sacrifice fly to left field to score the first run of the entire NCAA post-season in the fifth inning.
Brennan Morgan led the inning off for Kennesaw State with a single to left, then moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt and advanced to third on a wild pitch before Justin Motley and Cornell Nixon drew walks to load the bases with just one out.
It looked as though Alabama starter Spencer Turnbull had a chance to get out of the inning when he got ahead of Nixon, Kennesaw State’s nine-hitter, early in the count. But Nixon battled back, earning the second walk of the frame and turning over the Owls’ lineup in the process.
The next batter, Simmons, skied a ball to left field and brought Morgan in to put Kennesaw State up 1-0.
An inning and a half later, ‘Bama had its best scoring threat when 3B Chance Vincent singled to lead off the inning and advanced to second with no outs on a soaring throw by KSU Catcher Max Pentecost. But the Tide couldn’t push Vincent across; two weak fly balls failed to advance him to third and Bama’s 3-hitter, RF Ben Moore, grounded out to end the inning.
It was more of the same for Turnbull who entered the game having not received a run of support in his last 25 innings pitched. By the time the junior left the ball game, 6.1 innings later, the Tide still hadn’t scored him a single run — and he was on the hook for the loss.
Despite struggling with his location at points, Turnbull did more than enough to put Alabama in position to win — even if he didn’t get any run support to match his efforts. The 6-3 righty worked 6.1 innings, surrendering just three hits and an earned run while striking out two and walking four.
“[It was a] frustrating day for us,” said Alabama head coach Mitch Gaspard. “I think that makes seven starts where Spencer’s went into at least the 7th inning where we’ve scored two or less runs. When you add it up that’s a lot of games that could be in your favor if you get the offense going a little bit.”
Turnbull’s day ended in the top of the seventh after allowing Morgan to reach base on a wild third strike. After Matt Bahnick moved Morgan to second on a sacrifice, Gaspard pulled his starter in favor of RHP Jay Shaw, who — in spite of an error and a walk — got the Tide out of the jam without any damage. Shaw stayed on for the rest of the game, surrendering just a single hit along the way, but the Alabama offense never could get going.
Despite out-hitting Kennesaw State 5-4, Alabama never did manage to push a run across.
“We’ve got to make some adjustments or our season is over,” said Gaspard.
Alabama plays the loser of tonight’s Georgia Southern-FSU game tomorrow at noon in an elimination game. Kennesaw State will play tonight’s winner tomorrow at 4 PM.
[Box Score: KSU1_UA0]
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