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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Junior outfielder
Alex Liquori went 4-for-5 and drove in four runs to highlight a balanced offensive attack as Kennesaw State defeated Lipscomb University, 12-5, Sunday (April 26) afternoon in the rubber game of a three-game series at Ken Dugan Field.
With the win, Kennesaw State improved to 24-20 overall and 8-6 in the A-Sun play, helping the Owls earn an A-Sun regular-season weekend series win over the Bisons for the first time since 2011--and the first series win on the road against the Bisons since 2006. Lipscomb, with the loss, slipped to 26-15 overall and 6-6 in conference action.
"I feel like anytime you can win two games in a road series is huge," head coach
Mike Sansing said. "I am proud of our guys and we battled all weekend. It was a great weekend for us."
KSU knocked 15 hits throughout the day, as eight of the nine starters totaled at least one hit in the game. Behind Liquori's efforts,
Corey Greeson (2-for-6, two RBI),
Chris McGowan (2-for-4, three RBI),
Chris Erwin (2-for-6) and
Taylor Allum (2-for-3, one RBI) combined for 12 of the Owls' 15 hits while every batter reached base safely in the game.
"A lot of guys had some good at bats.
Alex Liquori was big for us again today. He had a great approach and was strong throughout the weekend," Sansing said. "It was good to see him get going."
Kennesaw State placed crooked numbers in four of its five scoring frames on the right field scoreboard.
Unlike the first two games, Kennesaw State opening the scoring in the first inning when
Kal Simmons hit his 10th home run of the season over the right field wall. The solo homer gave the Owls an early 1-0 lead.
Kennesaw State continued its aggressive approach at the plate scoring two runs in the second, four more in the fourth, plated two runs in the sixth and added three more in the eighth to cap the scoring summary. It marked the 10th time this season KSU scored at least 10 runs in a ballgame.
The Owls' big offensive day came at the expense of four Lipscomb pitchers, including starter Brady Puckett (4-2), who surrendered seven runs (all earned) on seven hits over 3.2 innings on the mound.
On the other side of the mound, Kennesaw State's starter
Gabe Friese (4-4) was strong in his ninth start of the season, proving to be beneficiary of the offensive explosion. The righthander allowed two runs (all
unearned) on six hits over 7.0 innings while striking out three on the day.
"Gabe [Friese] threw strikes today and gave us what we needed. He gave us a chance to win and our guys got the bats going and give him a lead to work with," Sansing said.
Kennesaw State will take on Savannah State Tuesday night at Stillwell Stadium before taking on Auburn on SEC Network Wednesday evening in the Owls' two midweek games. KSU will have the following weekend off before picking up action against Georgia State on May 6.
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).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. - #GoKSUOwls -