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ATLANTA, Ga. – The Kennesaw State baseball team got the better of its cross-town rival on Wednesday night, taking a 6-5 win over Georgia State thanks in large part to a 4-for-5 day from junior center fielder
Bo Way.
Way (Brunswick, Ga./Glynn Academy) belted the Panthers for two singles, one double and his second home run of the season, falling a triple short of the cycle while bringing the Owls up to 23-25 on the year and dropping Georgia State to 32-18, handing GSU its sixth loss of the season on its home field in the process.
In what was an even tilt most of the way, it was senior
Andy Almonte (Moca, Puerto Rico/Gordon College) who picked up the go ahead RBI for KSU with a single that scored
Alex Liquori (Brooks, Ga./Whitewater HS) for a 5-4 lead in the top of the sixth. Way then came through with a single to score Almonte for the two-run advantage.
Georgia State managed one run in the eighth to cut it back to a one-run lead for the Owls, but
James Connell (Roswell, Ga./Georgia Perimeter College) came in for the close, striking out two in the bottom of the ninth to earn his sixth save of the year.
In the first, the Panthers took a two run lead to start things off before KSU tied it up in the top of the second on Almonte’s two out, two RBI double to tie the score up at two.
GSU regained a brief lead in the home half of the frame before the Owls came through again in the top of the third as Way sent his two-run homer deep over the center field wall, scoring Almonte, to put KSU up by a run, 4-3.
The Panthers capitalized off of a solo shot from Matt Rose to even things up at four before the two-run sixth inning from the Owls gave KSU the lead for good.
Way led both teams with his four hits while Almonte had a 3-for-5 afternoon, both players racking up three RBI during the win.
Freshman pitcher
Travis Bergen (McDonough, Ga./Union Grove HS) earned the first win of his career, throwing one inning allowing just one hit and earning a strikeout before Connell came on in the ninth for the save.
KSU once again proved steady in the field, turning three double plays while committing just a single error compared to the three committed by the Panthers.
The Owls will wrap up the home portion of their 2013 season this weekend, hosting Atlantic Sun Conference opponent USC Upstate for a three-game series starting on Friday, May 10 at 6 p.m. ET in Stillwell Stadium.
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.
