By: KSU Sports Information
Box Score
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ATLANTA- The Kennesaw State Owls had a tough go of it on Wednesday night, allowing four home runs while falling to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, 9-1, in five innings at Mewborn Field.
The Owls (16-16) had pulled to within a run of Georgia Tech (20-16) in the third inning after allowing two runs in the first when, after back-to-back singles by Kaylee Williams and Jamie Saunders, they were sacrificed over to second and third by Carly Van Auken, with Williams eventually coming around to score on a passed ball with two outs to make it 2-1.
It would be the bottom of that frame that would put the game out of reach for the Black and Gold, when the Yellow Jackets put up five runs, four of them coming courtesy of home runs. With Amanda Henderson in the pitcher’s circle after Jessica Cross threw the first two innings, Kelsi Weseman would lead things off with a solo shot to right centerfield to make it 3-1.
Two batters later, Hope Rush would do the same, only to left field. After a Karly Fullem single, Shannon Bear would hit the first of her two roundtrippers on the evening over the left field fence to make it 6-1 in favor of the home team. The Owls would commit a pair of errors later in the inning, with the Yellow Jackets scoring one more before eventually stranding the bases loaded. After committing one of those errors to allow a run to score, Williams would recover at second base to make a nice throw home to get Hayley Downs caught in a rundown and preserve a run.
Kennesaw State would allow two more runs in the bottom of the fourth, when a Fullem walk was followed by Bear’s second blast of the night to make it, 9-1, and putting the eight-run rule into play.
Cross would have the third of the night for the Owls, leading off the top of the fourth inning with a double, while Saunders was the only runner stranded on base for the Owls during the game after reach in the third inning.
Cross pitched two innings, while Henderson and Abbey Mixon were in the circle for an inning apiece. Both of the strikeouts against the Yellow Jackets were credited to Cross. Cross also took the loss on Wednesday, dropping to 5-8 on the season.
The Black and Gold head on the road for four Atlantic Sun Conference games this weekend, beginning Friday, when they travel to East Tennessee State for a doubleheader with the Bucs beginning at 4 p.m. They then visit the USC Upstate Spartans on Saturday at 1 p.m. KSU All Access will have live audio all weekend long.
