SEMIFINAL BOX SCORE (XML) |
SEMIFINAL BOX SCORE (PDF)
FINAL BOX SCORE (XML) |
FINAL BOX SCORE (PDF)
DELAND, Fla. – After an early afternoon win over the University of North Florida, 4-2, the Kennesaw State baseball team ended its late-season run in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament with an appearance in the championship game, falling to East Tennessee State, 7-2.
The Owls defeated UNF for the second time in as many days on Sunday afternoon, May 26, to climb out of the loser’s bracket to take on the Buccaneers in the A-Sun Championship, the second time in two years that KSU has reached the final before ultimately falling to ETSU.
KSU ends the season at .500 with a 30-30 record after winning four games in the tournament, three consecutively, to reach the championship game.
Jacob Bruce (Woodstock, Ga./Woodstock HS),
Chris McGowan (Lawrenceville, Ga./Collins Hill HS) and
Max Pentecost (Winder, Ga./Winder-Barrow HS) each earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team, Bruce hitting .409 with nine hits, Pentecost hitting .320 with two doubles, two homers and four RBI and McGowan earning an on base percentage of .448.
In the final, it was ETSU who struck first, putting up two unearned runs, one in the second and one in the third before KSU cut it to a one-run ballgame with freshman
Kal Simmons (Nashville, Ga./Berrien HS) scoring on an error, setting the score at 2-1 Bucs.
ETSU added on one more in the bottom of the fifth and two more in the sixth before KSU scored its final run of the game with designated hitter
Ryan Raper (Powder Springs, Ga./Hillgrove HS) scoring on an
Andy Almonte (Moca, Puerto Rico/Gordon College) RBI.
But ETSU responded, scoring another pair of runs in the seventh to put the game away at 7-2.
Starting pitcher for the Buccaneers Kerry Doane tossed all nine innings allowing just four hits to KSU while giving up just one earned run. KSU freshman shortstop Simmons was good for two of the KSU hits.
In the semifinal elimination game against North Florida, it was the Ospreys who put the first run on the board in the bottom of the first with an RBI from Tyler Marincov. Then in the third the Owls picked up the tying and go-ahead runs from a two RBI double from the catcher Pentecost.
UNF then tied it in the fifth but the Owls responded, scoring on a
Dylan Ivey (Winder, Ga./Winder-Barrow HS) bunt to regain the lead in the sixth and adding on the fourth and final run as Simmons made his way home in the seventh for the 4-2 KSU win.
Junior
Bo Way (Brunswick, Ga./Glynn Academy) had a 3-hit game while Pentecost, Bruce and senior
Peyton Hart (Sandy Cross, Ga./Franklin County HS) each had two.
Keep up with Owls baseball all season by following KSU on Twitter
@KSUOwlNation and
@KSUOwlsBaseball, or by liking Kennesaw State Owls on Facebook.
Kennesaw State University is celebrating 30 years of intercollegiate athletics during the 2012-13 academic year.
