By: by Jason Hanes
NASHVILLE - Kennesaw State's baseball team scored one run in the ninth, but needed two as the Owls fell to Lipscomb, 4-3, in the opener of an Atlantic Sun Conference series Friday night at Dugan Field.
The Owls (13-19, 4-6) took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a Peyton Hart home run to right. The Bisons answered back in the bottom of the second, knotting the score on a double by M.L. Williams.
Lipscomb took the lead in the third when Andrew Nickerson singled to right with two men out, scoring the go-ahead run. Undaunted, the Owls fought back in the sixth when Clint Roques reached on an error, scoring Hart with an unearned run to make the score 2-2.
The Bisons (11-20, 3-4) took the lead for good in the bottom of the sixth as Nickerson reached on a fielder's choice, scoring the go-ahead run. One batter later, Wilkins tripled to center, plating an insurance run that would prove to be vital.
The Owls tried twice to tie the score, but both times came up short. KSU loaded the bases with no one out in the eighth inning, but Lipscomb starter Josh Smith buckled down, striking out consecutive batters and getting a ground out to end the inning with three men stranded.
In the ninth, Tyler Stubblefield tripled with one out, then scored two batters later when Josh Whitaker reached on an error. That would be as close as they would get, however, as Joe Gorley was retired to end the contest.
Smith (6-1) earned the win, allowing one earned run in a complete-game victory while striking out 11 and giving up just six hits. Ryan Rodebaugh (2-4) was the hard-luck loser, going all eight innings on the mound for the Owls and giving up three earned runs on six hits with three strikeouts.
The two teams will wrap up the series with a doubleheader tomorrow afternoon beginning at 1 p.m. CDT.
