The Kennesaw State baseball team lost a road series 2-1 versus the UAB Blazers this weekend after dropping the Sunday game, 2-1, in extra innings.
The Owls (6-5) kicked off the weekend with a victory on Friday evening, scoring four runs in the top of the ninth to secure a 10-6 win. Grant Williams, Alex Liquori, and LaDonis Bryant led the offensive attack for KSU, combing for six of the team’s eight hits and four RBIs in total. Heading into the ninth inning, the Owls were tied at six with UAB, but Liquori’s two-run double broke the tie, before Jake Franklin’s single to drive in two more gave the Owls their final runs.
“I am proud of our players and their continued efforts to battle nine innings,” KSU head coach Mike Sansing told KSUOwls.com after the game. “Alex Liquori and Jake Franklin had big hits, but many of our guys had quality at-bats in that ninth inning.”
Starter Chris Erwin threw 5.1 innings, holding the Blazers scoreless until the sixth inning, at which point the Owls had a 6-0 lead. Erwin’s final line ended with him allowing five runs, but Sansing was still pleased with his pitcher’s outing.
“We had some good pitching over the weekend,” Sansing said. “Erwin really pitched well on Friday until that sixth inning where some things happened, but he kept us in the game.”
On Saturday, KSU lost 4-3, as their late rallies to tie fell short. Righthander Gabe Friese started for the Owls and allowed four runs, however only two were earned. The Blazers got on the scoreboard first with a single run in the first inning, but KSU tied it at one in the fourth when Griffin Helms scored after a throwing error by the UAB catcher. The Blazers added a single run in the fifth on a passed ball thrown by Friese, and two in the sixth on back-to-back hits, knocking Friese out of the ballgame.
Jeremy Howell and Grant Williams added an RBI single each in the top of the seventh to bring the Owls within one, and the bullpen, led by Turner Watkins and Mason Ward, held the margin. In the ninth, KSU was able to place runners on first and second with just one out, but Grant Williams’ unfortunate lineout to the first baseman resulted in a double play to end the game.
“I think we battled really well Saturday,” Sansing said. “We didn’t get the result we wanted, but we played nine innings, and guys battled.”
The Sunday affair led to the Owls’ first extra innings game since last season, but they ultimately fell 2-1 to the Blazers after 11 innings. Sophomore starter AJ Moore pitched for seven innings — his career high — without allowing an earned run. UAB scored an unearned run in the fifth on an error by the left-fielder LaDonis Bryant.
Moore retired the first 12 batters to start the game, and ended his day allowing just two hits and two walks after facing 32 batters. The Blazers’ pitchers were equally as impressive, allowing just one run despite scattering eleven hits.
After falling behind 1-0 in the fifth, KSU would respond with three consecutive singles from Austin Upshaw, Jeremy Howell, and Brennan Morgan to tie it at 1-1. That score held until the bottom of the 11th inning, when the Blazers’ walkoff single to left scored Brewer Hicklen.
Jeremy Howell was 3-4 on Sunday, and Corey Greeson contributed two doubles, but ultimately the Owls failed to score in some key situations, leading to their loss despite outhitting their opponent 11-3.
“AJ Moore was very good today,” Sansing told KSUOwls.com. “He had a strong outing and we just couldn’t manage to give him any runs. AJ pitched extremely well and his stuff was very sharp.”
Coach Sansing was optimistic that his team will be able to rebound from the series loss.
“The guys kept fighting all weekend, especially today (Sunday), we just came up short in some situations,” Sansing said. “We’ll learn from these games and hopefully do better next time out.”
The Owls travel to Statesboro to take on Georgia Southern this Tuesday.
