By: by Jason Hanes
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NASHVILLE - Ronnie Freeman had three hits and a pair of RBIs, but the Kennesaw State baseball team fell, 6-4, to Mercer in the third game of the Atlantic Sun Conference Championships Thursday night at Ken Dugan Field on the campus of Lipscomb.
The Owls (32-24) fell behind two batters into the game as Mercer's Joe Winker connected for a two-run home run to put Mercer (37-18) on top. Undaunted, the Owls came back to score three runs in the third to take the lead. With runners on the corners and one out, a single by Freeman plated Chris Wages to give KSU its first run of the game. Andy Chriscaden followed with a double down the line in left, scoring Aaron Dobbs to knot the score, 2-2. After a walk loaded the bases, a sacrifice fly by Sean McClurken plated KSU's third run of the inning to give the Owls the lead.
The lead would hold until the third inning, when Mercer took advantage of KSU miscues to regain the lead. After an RBI single by Thomas Carroll tied the score, two wild pitches and a passed ball allowed Mercer to score two more runs to take the lead, 5-3.
The Bears would add an unearned run in the seventh, but the Owls answered back in the bottom of the inning when Freeman launched a solo home run over the wall in left center, cutting the deficit to two, 6-4.
That would be as close as the Owls got. The Owls would leave the game-tying run on base in the eighth inning, as KSU couldn't even the score, falling 6-4.
"I feel like we didn't play as well tonight as we have been in the past month," said KSU head coach Mike Sansing. "We had opportunities to score and didn't get it going offensively."
Josh Carr (5-6) took the loss for the Owls, allowing five runs (four earned) on 10 hits in 4.2 innings. Zac Griffith worked the final 4.1 innings for KSU, giving up one unearned run on two hits with six strikeouts.
"I thought Zac came in and did well for us," coach Sansing said. "He helped to keep us in the game tonight."
The Owls will now face Belmont in Game 5 of the A-Sun Championships. A loss will eliminate KSU from title contention. "[Belmont was] very solid today when we watched them against Stetson," coach Sansing said. "They are very aggressive hitters and very aggressive on the bases. We've just got to play our game and come out ready to play."
Weather permitting, first pitch in Thursday afternoon's game is set for 3 p.m. CDT. Live video will be available via
ASun.TV.
