By: by Jason Hanes
Box Score
ATHENS, Ga. - A pair of three-hit performances by Ray Anderson and Peyton Hart weren't enough for the Kennesaw State baseball team as the Owls fell, 9-4, to Georgia at Foley Field in the final road game of the 2011 season for KSU, preventing the Owls from getting a season sweep over their in-state rivals.
Anderson and Hart each went 3-for-5 at the plate for the Owls, helping to pace the 11-hit attack for KSU on the evening. Unfortunately, four errors would prove to be the undoing of KSU as the Bulldogs (27-26) scored five unearned runs in the contest.
The Bulldogs drew first blood on Kyle Farmer's RBI ground out to short in the first inning. In the second, UGA would score four more times against KSU starter Sean Fream (1-5). All four runs would be unearned as the Owls committed a pair of costly errors. "We gave them some extra outs, but I don't think that's the reason we lost the game," said KSU head coach Mike Sansing. "That happened early in the game, but we just didn't do too much offensively to get back into it."
Georgia would score once more in the fifth off of Fream, knocking KSU's starting hurler out of the contest. Caden Ferguson entered for the Owls, pitching 1.1 innings and allowing three runs (two earned) as UGA stretched its lead to 9-0.
The Owls rallied back in the latter stages of the game. The Owls (30-22) would bat around in the seventh inning, scoring runs on RBI singles by Ronnie Freeman and Hart and a run scoring sacrifice fly by Sean McClurken. Hart would later score in the ninth inning on a wild pitch to complete the scoring with the Owls falling, 9-4.
Jeff Brown delivered one of the bright spots on the mound for the Owls with two scoreless innings of relief for KSU. The senior allowed just two hits and struck out two batters in his stint on the mound.
Patrick Boling (1-2) picked up his first win of the season with three quality innings as UGA's starting pitcher.
The Owls will wrap up the regular season with a three-game homestand against Jacksonville as KSU makes a final push towards the second spot in the A-Sun standings. First pitch in Thursday night's series opener is set for 6 p.m.
