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DELAND, Fla. – The Kennesaw State baseball program dropped a hard-fought, grind-it-out, Atlantic Sun Conference contest to Stetson University Friday (April 3) evening at Melching Field, 6-2.  The Owls got a strong performance from Taylor Allum at the plate, while Travis Bergen pitched seven solid innings in the losing effort.  

The Owls fell to 15-15 overall on the season and 2-3 in A-Sun play, while Stetson improved to 17-15 overall and 2-0 in conference action.

Pitching was the story for most of the day, as Bergen and Stetson's Mitchell Jordan matched each other pitch-for-pitch throughout the game. Bergen, who hails from McDonough, Georgia, allowed 11 hits and four earned runs over 7.0 innings on the mound.

On the other side, Jordan also tossed 7.0 innings on the hill allowing two earned runs on five hits. The righty struck out six in the outing to hold the Owls' potent offense to earn his first win of the season.
The two starters kept the game tight throughout their seven innings of work, keeping the game at 2-2 after six and a half complete. The two combined for 10 strikeouts while forcing 12 fly outs in the game, making each run hard-earned in the second game of the three-game weekend series.

Travis Bergen's night was tested from the start, as the Hatters loaded the bases with no outs in the first inning. Threatening to place a crooked number on the scoreboard, second baseman Grant Williams' stellar defensive play helped halt Steton's attack.

Josh Powers lifted a fly ball between Williams and Allum—who started in right field—, only to have the Atlanta, Georgia native make an over-the-shoulder catch, quickly turning around and made an off-balanced throw to home to throw out the runner for a double play. The Owls ended the threat with Bergen recording his first strikeout of the night.

Despite placing a runner in scoring position in three of the first four innings, the Owls found themselves trailing 2-0 after four complete. Stetson showed its ability to play small ball in the bottom of the third to plate the game's first run. The Hatters led off the inning with back-to-back singles, which included a bunt single, and produced a run with an RBI ground out off the bat of Patrick Mazeik.

Stetson came back in the fourth with a solo home run to double its lead to 2-0, coming off the bat of Garrett Russini to lead off the frame.

Trailing by two, Kennesaw State scored the next two runs to tie the game at 2-2. Allum, who made his 12 start of the season, played a key role in each of the Owls' two runs. The freshman, who paced the offense going 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI, led off the fifth inning with a double off the top of the right field wall.

A sacrifice bunt by Alex Liquori set up Jeremy's Howell's RBI ground out, bringing home Allum from third base. It was Howell's 13th RBI of the season and cut Stetson's deficit to 2-1.

After Bergen tossed scoreless frames in the fifth and sixth allowing just one hit, the Owls tied the game in the top of the seventh off Allum's bat. Leading off the top half, Allum turned on a fastball and sent his second homer of the season over the right field wall. Allum, for the season, is batting a team-high .388 (19-for-49) with four doubles and two home runs for 12 RBI.

However, with the game deadlocked at 2-2, Stetson answered with four runs over the next two innings to secure game two and the weekend series.

Kennesaw State will return to Melching Field Saturday (April 4) afternoon to conclude the three-game series against the Hatters. First pitch is set for 1 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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