The UGA Baseball team had a sneaky good day at the plate against Kennesaw State but they were not able to convert their many base runners into runs on the scoreboard in their 5-4 loss on Tuesday.
 
 
The Bulldogs may not have outhit the Owls, but their ability to stay patient at the plate was a huge key for them. Although The Bulldogs won the “free-base” battle as they earned more bases off of Owls’ mistake than the Owls earned off the Bulldogs’, they were not able to capitalize and turn these added opportunities into runs as they finished the night with 11 runners left on base.
 
 
On a more positive note, The Bulldogs did end their day with 10 walks, 1 player hit by pitch, and advanced runners on 4 wild pitches and 1 error. Giving up free bases was an issue that the Bulldogs struggled with in their first series but have made some huge improvements since then.
 
 
Two players that each had a great night at the plate while not registering a hit were left fielder Keegan McGovern and center fielder Tucker Maxwell. McGovern was 0-1 at the plate, but he reached base by the way of a walk in two of his four plate appearances. McGovern also had a sacrifice fly that got the scoring started for the Bulldogs in the first inning.
 
 
Maxwell was 1-1 with a single, which may seem like a less than impressive line, but that is because he earned three walks in his three other plate appearances. Plate discipline was a huge key for the Bulldogs on the day and if they can continue to have this same approach at the plate, then it should eventually lead to wins in the future.
 
 
The Owls also had the long ball working tonight as they finished with three home runs and their last home run by right fielder Taylor Allum was the deciding run in the ball game. Although the Owls were outplayed, their ability to strand Bulldogs’ runners on base was the difference and they should be commended for that.
 
 
The Bulldogs next matchup will see them face the University of Alabama-Birmingham Blazers in a three-game series starting on Friday, March 3rd, with first pitch scheduled for 5:00 p.m.
 
 
Star of the Game: Owls’ Pitching
 
The Owls’ pitching did a great job of getting critical outs in tough situations. They held the Bulldogs to 1/12 with runners and scoring position and got out of two critical bases loaded situations pretty unscathed. Although they allowed multiple base runners in a variety of ways, their ability to leave 11 Bulldogs’ runners on base was the difference maker in the game.
 
 
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