Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 FRANKFORT, Ky. -- The Kentucky State University baseball team got a near perfect pitching performance from AJ Garza-Hall in game one and survived a sloppy second game to earn a doubleheader sweep of the Lane College Dragons as the teams kick-off their three-game SIAC weekend series.
 
The Thorobreds, winners of nine of their last 12, jump to 11-29 overall and 7-9 in SIAC play. Lane drops to 2-15, 0-10 in SIAC action.
 
GAME 1
Kentucky State starting pitcher AJ Garza-Hall turned in a dominant pitching performance to lead the Thorobreds to a, 4-0, victory in Saturdays opening game.
 
Garza-Hall (1-5) threw a 7.0 inning complete game against the visiting Dragons and was one surrendered hit away from a perfect game. After sitting down the first 14 Lane batters he faced, Garza-Hall lost his bid for the perfect game when LC right fielder Robert Love singled up the middle.  Despite the hit, Garza-Hall got right back on track and proceeded to fan down the next seven Lane batters to end the game. He finished with a season-high nine strikeouts.
 
The Thorobreds put their first runs on the board in the bottom of the second inning when, with two outs, Marshall Howard IV hit a hard ball through the Lane second baseman's legs that brought home Josh O'Reel from second. The next batter, Cornell Brown, ripped a single down the right field line to score Howard and put the Thorobreds on top, 2-0, before the end of the inning.
 
After a scoreless third inning the Thorobreds added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth. With the bases loaded, Lane starting pitcher Robert Jones came to far inside and hit Justin Cain to give up the free base, forcing another KSU run to cross the plate. An error on the next play allowed Howard to score and push the Thorobreds advantage to, 4-0.
 
Michael Montgomery was saddled with the loss after 4.0 innings of work. Montgomery allowed six hits and all four runs in his time on the mound.
 
GAME 2
Kentucky State was able to pick up a 10-4 victory after a sloppy defensive performance by both teams in the second game of Saturdays doubleheader. The teams combined to commit 12 errors.
 
Kentucky State picked up four runs in the first and third innings to jump out to an 8-0 lead early in the game.
 
Lane picked up two runs in the top of the fourth inning. With one out, relief pitcher Brandon Houston hit a single to centerfield. Miscommunication led to LC runners scoring from first and second to cut the KSU lead to six at 8-2.
 
Sacrifice flies from Darius Hughes in the fourth and Reginald Grimes II in the fifth tacked on two more runs for KSU, putting the Thorobreds ahead, 10-2, after the fifth inning.
 
A sloppy defensive inning allowed Lane to get two runs back in the top of the sixth, cutting the Kentucky State lead to 10-4.
 
Kentucky State starter Josh Dunn struck picked up two of his eight strikeouts in top of the seventh to end the contest and secure the 10-4 KSU win.
 
KSU got a solid overall performance from Dunn (2-7) who pitched all seven innings for the Thorobreds. Dunn surrendered just six hits and one earned run in the game.
 
Tyler Austin was given the loss for Lane after allowing four hits and six runs in 2.0 innings on the mound.
 
NEXT UP
The teams will be back on the field tomorrow afternoon for a single game at 12 p.m. as they wrap up their three-game weekend series.