Box Score (XML)
KENNESAW, Ga. - The Kennesaw State baseball team (10-6, 3-1) competed nose to nose with the Lipscomb Bisons (6-6, 1-0) for 11 innings, but the Nashville, Tenn. team used their home-field advantage to edge out the Owls on Friday night.
Jake Rice looked his dominant self in the early going of Friday's game, as the graduate pitcher threw four shutout innings for one hit; however, the Alabaman's remarkable stretch of 26 and two-thirds innings without an earned run was ended by the Bisons in the fifth inning.
Garrett Hodges had another impressive day at the plate, going three-for-five to continue his hot run of play from last weekend against Bellarmine. The Owls' no. 42 opened the scoring with a mammoth of a solo home run deep to center field, his team-leading fourth of the season.
In the top of the fifth inning, Tyler Tolve found the right-center gap of the outfield to plate Jesse Sherrill for a triple. Alex Carballo kept the runs coming, with an infield single to second base to bring Tolve home. Hodges came through for his team again to cap the fifth inning, doubling to right field to score Carballo and capture a 4-0 lead for the visitors.
The Bisons got three runs back in the bottom of the inning, thanks to a four-hit, two-out rally from the hosts. They would then take the lead in the next inning after a two-run homer to left-center field.
Jared Rine came into pitch for Rice in the sixth inning and the sophomore was unlucky to be given the loss on the night. The six-foot-four rightie pitched the last four and two-thirds innings of the Friday night series opener, allowing one run on four hits and striking out four batters.
Rine kept the Owls in the game, allowing Sherrill to tie the game at five with a two-out bloop single to score Jake Coro in the top of the eighth.
The teams reached a stalemate late on in the matchup and the game could only be decided in extra innings. When a single followed a leadoff walk in the bottom of the 11th inning, Lipscomb completed the walk-off win with a base hit through the middle of the diamond to win 6-5.
The Owls will seek revenge after the tough loss with a 3 p.m. EST afternoon faceoff with Lipscomb on Saturday.
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.
