COUGARS EXPLODE EARLY, ROLL PAST ROANE STATE 15-1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 15 | 14 | 1 |
|
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0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Cleveland State Community College used a massive eight-run third inning to take control early and cruised to a 15–1 road victory over Roane State Community College on Thursday afternoon at Raider Field.
The Cougars finished with 15 runs on 14 hits, highlighted by a dominant performance from Nelson McKnight, who went 3-for-3 with a home run, a double, and six RBIs. Nolan Sergeant scored four times and drove in two, while Evan Leonard reached base five times and added an RBI as Cleveland State showed patience at the plate with 11 walks.
On the mound, Max Owens earned the win, improving to 2–1 after tossing six strong innings. Owens allowed just two hits and one unearned run while striking out five. Cade Batchelor worked a scoreless seventh to close the game as the Cougar pitching staff limited Roane State to two hits overall.
"We did a really good job of controlling the strike zone and capitalizing when we had runners on base," said head coach Aaron Bryant. "Our guys stayed locked in from the first pitch, and that big inning gave us momentum that we never let go."
