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KENNESAW, Ga. – In front of a record-breaking crowd of 1,455 fans in Stillwell Stadium Tuesday night, the Kennesaw State baseball team fell, 2-1, to in-state opponent Georgia, splitting the season series with the Bulldogs.
The Owls, now 17-12 on the year, put up their lone run of the ballgame in the bottom of the seventh when shortstop
Kal Simmons (Nashville, Ga./Berrien HS) knocked a sacrifice fly to left field that scored designated hitter
Ryan Raper (Powder Springs, Ga./Hillgrove HS). KSU then threatened in the eighth but failed to bring across the tying run, falling to the Bulldogs (11-19) by one.
Georgia scored both runs in the top of the fourth off of an RBI single from Curt Powell and a sacrifice fly from Kyle Farmer for the 2-0 lead.
Offensively, the Owls put up seven hits to the six of the Bulldogs, but stranded nine runners on the bases in the process. Catcher
Max Pentecost (Winder, Ga./Winder-Barrow HS) went 3-for-4 for head coach
Mike Sansing, all singles, while catching a pair of UGA runners attempting to steal, bumping his season total up to 10.
Four other KSU batters had hits in the ballgame including senior
Andy Almonte (Moca, Puerto Rico/Gordon Colloge), who extends his hit-streak to nine games, with Raper drawing a pair of walks and scoring the team’s only run.
On the mound, starter
Nathan Harsh (Brunswick, Ga./Brunswick HS) took the loss, falling to .500 on the year at 1-1, allowing just one hit in five innings of work and striking out four after giving up just one earned run.
Harsh was replaced by
Colton Cross (Ringgold, Ga./Ringgold HS) who lasted two innings allowing just one hit before relief pitchers
Justin McCalvin (Leesburg, Ga./Lee County HS) and
James Connell (Roswell, Ga./Georgia Perimeter College) went the final two innings of work.
The Owls also turned a season-high three double plays during the ballgame.
The black and gold will be back in action tomorrow, April 3, as the team heads into downtown Atlanta, Ga. for a 6 p.m. ET game against the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech before returning to Atlantic Sun Conference action this weekend as KSU hosts Florida Gulf Coast.
Keep up with Owls baseball all season by following KSU on Twitter
@KSUOwlNation and
@KSUOwlsBaseball, or by liking Kennesaw State Owls on Facebook.
Kennesaw State University is celebrating 30 years of intercollegiate athletics during the 2012-13 academic year.
