Julien Benjamin (Staff Writer)
KSU’s baseball team played a low-scoring game in its series finale against the Lipscomb Bisons, but ultimately lost by a 2-1 final score. A crucial error by second baseman Dylan Ivey in the eighth inning erased a potential double play, leading instead to the Bisons scoring the final, and winning run of the game.
The Owls committed three errors in the game, along with poor hitting, to overshadow a strong outing from the pitching staff, who did not allow a single earned run in the contest. Starter Jordan Hillyer threw 7.1 innings, recording seven strikeouts, while allowing two unearned runs. A throwing error by Hillyer in the fourth when fielding a bunt led to the first Bisons run, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead. Hillyer was able to work out the inning without further trouble, despite there being two runners in scoring position. Both sides continued to toss zeros until the bottom of the seventh, when the Owls scored the only earned run of the game as pinch-hitter Colin Bennett singled home Chris McGowan from second, amid a two-out rally for the Owls.
“He hit it solid up the middle,” head coach Mike Sansing said. “We haven’t done a good job of pinch-hitting this year, so it was good to see someone do it.”
KSU headed to the top of the eighth tied at one, but starter Jordan Hillyer was quickly in trouble. Sansing quickly replaced him, and three other relievers, with the Owls using five pitchers in the frame.
Bisons catcher Tyler Bethune came to the plate with two runners on, and one out, facing Owls closer James Connell. Connell forced a routine ground ball to the second baseman Dylan Ivey, who committed his second error of the afternoon when he allowed himself to get played by a ball hop.
Instead of continuing with a tie game, the Owls found themselves down one in a game where hits were at a premium. Despite Max Pentecost hitting a triple in in the eighth, KSU was unable to mount a serious rally against Lipscomb, ultimately falling in the ninth.
“I don’t feel like one play dictates anything”, Sansing said. “Lipscomb played really well and had some timely hits.”
Hillyer received the tough loss, dropping to 2-1 on the season despite improving his ERA to 1.90.
“(Hillyer) pitched extremely well,” Sansing said. “I thought he did a great job today”. The staff picked up nine strikeouts on the afternoon, improving their league-leading mark to 220 punch-outs for the season.
The six game slide has become worrisome for a team that started the season on a 4-2 run. Errors and offensive slump from many of the team’s hitters have been the primary culprits during this stretch.
“I’ve been concerned for a while”, Sansing said after the game. “Offensively, we’ve swung it well at times, just didn’t take advantage. We’re having (problems) in a lot of phases of the game right now. We need to mentally understand what’s going on in the games, how important each play is, and try to minimize mistakes.”
KSU plays at Auburn Tuesday evening.
