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ATHENS, Ga.  – The Kennesaw State baseball program dropped its midweek game against Georgia on Wednesday (March 25) evening at Foley Field by a final score of 9-5. Junior Kal Simmons recorded his seventh home run of the season, while freshman Grant Williams finished the game 2-for-4 with two RBI. KSU fell to 12-12 overall on the season, Georgia improved to 16-10.
                                                                                                                  
Six different Owls finished the game with at least one hit. Brennan Morgan (2-for-4), Jeremy Howell (2-for-4) and Williams all had multi-hit games for Kennesaw State, leading the KSU offensive attack. Simmons added a solo home run, finishing the game 1-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and an RBI.
 
The Owls scored the game's first two runs in the top half of the second inning, coming off the bats of Alex Liquori and Grant Williams. Kennesaw State began the frame with back-to-back singles from senior Chris McGowan and freshman Griffin Helms, which led to RBI singles from Alex Liquori and Williams later in the inning.

It marked the 14th time this season Kennesaw State crossed home plate first, entering the night with an impressive 11-2 record when scoring the first run. In fact, entering Wednesday's showdown with the Bulldogs, KSU have outscored its opponents by a dominant 23-8 margin in the second inning.

After the Bulldogs pulled within one in the bottom half of the inning, starting pitcher Chris Erwin got some defensive help by a phenomenal diving play by the likes of Simmons. The shortstop dove to his glove side with what appeared to be a single up the middle, only to stop the ball and flip the ball to Williams to turn a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play, keeping the game at 2-1.

Georgia tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning, coming off the bat of Mike Bell. The sophomore's base-clearing triple to right center field scored DJ Smith from first base --who got hit by a pitch earlier in the inning.

However, with runners on the corners with only one out, Erwin worked himself out of the jam to avoid any further damage. The righty struck out leadoff hitter Stephen Wrenn before forcing a ground out to end the frame.

For the game, Erwin allowed two runs –one earned— on two hits and struck out six Bulldog batters in 4.0 innings of work. The start marked his first of the season, earning a no decision on the night.

Deadlocked at two, Simmons' solo home run in the top of the fifth inning pushed the Owls' lead to 3-2. For Simmons, it marked his team-leading seventh home run of the season. The junior shortstop is also tied in the Atlantic Sun for the most home runs.

But, Georgia attacked back with a five-run fifth, sending nine batters to the plate compiling three doubles and one single in the inning. The offensive attack gave the Bulldogs their largest lead of the game, solidifying the midweek win.

KSU will return to the diamond this weekend on March 27-29 at Stillwell Stadium, opening up Atlantic Sun Conference play against USC Upstate. The Owls are 33-7 all-time against the Spartans. In fact, KSU is unbeaten in 19 games against conference opponents dating back to last year. First pitch is set for 5 p.m.

Season tickets are currently on sale for the full 29-game home schedule at $39 per ticket. Single-game tickets are also available at $6 for adults and $4 for youth (ages 3-12). Group tickets for 10 or more people are available for advanced purchase, excluding the Georgia (Feb. 17), Georgia Tech (Mar. 17) and Georgia Southern (Mar. 24) games when individual tickets will be $10 for adults and $6 for youth. To order season tickets click here, or contact the KSU Athletic Ticket Office at 470-578-OWLS (6957).
 
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