By: By Brandon Scardigli
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KENNESAW, Ga. – Even with a grand slam from Kennesaw State right fielder
Alex Liquori, the Owls couldn't overcome Georgia Tech at Stillwell Stadium on Tuesday night, falling 8-7 to even the season series at one game each.
The Owls slammed nine hits while striking out 10 Georgia Tech batters as KSU falls to 12-12 on the year while the Yellow Jackets improve to 12-8.
KSU put the first run on the board in the bottom of the first, the fourth straight game the Owls have scored first, as
Bo Way drove in
Max Pentecost with a single to left field followed by a costly Georgia Tech error to put the home team up early.
Georgia Tech answered in the second with four runs on five hits, two of those doubles to the left field gap, to put the Yellow Jackets up 4-1. Connor Justus then made it 5-1 with an infield single in the third to make it a four-run contest.
Liquori then tied things up in the bottom of the sixth with one swing of the bat, sending a grand slam over the right field wall, his first homer of the season, to score
Jacob Bruce, Pentecost and
Brennan Morgan to knot it at five.
But again the Yellow Jackets answered, matching the Owls with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh off of three hits to regain the lead, 7-5, at the stretch.
In the home half of the seventh it was the Owls that came back, putting up a pair of runs as Pentecost drove in
Dylan Ivey for the first score followed by a two-out RBI single from Way that brought home the KSU catcher for the tying run.
But a balk from relief pitcher
Justin McCalvin in the top of the ninth with two outs would prove costly as Matt Gonzalez came home to score the game-winning run for Tech.
KSU enjoyed a pair of four strikeout performances from
James Connell and
Will Lowman as the two pitched two innings each allowing just three hits.
Pentecost and Way each picked up two hits during the outing with one run driven in, Pentecost scoring three runs of his own while belting his eighth double of the season along with his eighth stolen base.
The Owls will be back on the field this weekend for a three-game series against Atlantic Sun opponent Lipscomb starting on Friday, March 21 at 6 p.m. ET.
To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State baseball news, follow the team on Twitter
@KSUOwlNation and
@KSUOwlsBaseball or by liking Kennesaw State University on
Facebook.
For more information on how to purchase tickets, please call the KSU ticket office at
770-423-6957, or by visiting
KSUOwls.com/tickets.
-#GoKSUOwls-
