SSU Holds Off Cross-Town Rival, 7-4

May 1 , 2007
GARDEN CITY, Ga- John Keene went 3-for-5 at the plate and picked up the save on the mound as the Savannah State baseball team defeated NAIA opponent and cross-town rival Savannah College of Art & Design at Chain Field.

Marcus Cortes earned the win for SSU, hurling 6.1 innings and giving up two runs. He walked four batters and struck out three.

Matt Courtright took the loss for the Bees. Courtright surrendered nine hits and four runs in 6.1 innings and finished with five strikeouts.

The Tigers scored two runs off three hits in the first inning. Kyle Wilkerson led off with a double to right field. After Keene popped up to the shortstop, Jonathan Ross drove Wilkerson home with a two-run home run over the left filed fence.

Savannah State produced one run off three hits in the fifth to go ahead 3-0. Wilkerson led off with a double and came home on a double by Keene. Ross then stepped to the plate and punched a single through the left side of the infield that advanced Keene to third. However, the Tigers would leave Ross and Keene stranded as the next two batters popped out and grounded into a double play to end the first half of the inning. SCAD tied the game at two with RBI singles from Matt Cox and Richard Sullivan, in the bottom of the fifth.

The final three innings would be fruitful for the Tigers as they scored four more times.

In the seventh, David Rowland walked and came home on a single by Keene to put the Tigers ahead  4-2.

Brandon Javis smacked a solo home run to start the eighth and a throwing error by the Bees allowed Alfred Arnold to scored an unearned run to give SSU a 6-2 advantage. SCAD pulled within 6-4 as Cox belted a two-run single in the bottom of the inning.

Keene hit a double in the ninth and advanced to third on a balk. Ross grounded out to the pitcher but that allowed Keene to come home and score the last run of the contest.

SCAD had two runners on base in the bottom of the ninth via walks but Keene shut them down, allowing no hits.

Wilkerson, Ross and Cortes all had three hits apiece with Wilkerson scoring twice and Ross getting three RBI.

Cox went 3-for-5 for SCAD with three RBI.