KENNESAW, Ga. – The Towson baseball team split a pair of games with Kennesaw State Friday afternoon.  The Tigers won the first game of the doubleheader, 7-6, before falling, 11-8, in the second game.
 
How it Happened (Game 1)

• The Owls took advantage of a pair of errors to push across three runs in the first inning.
• The Tigers got a run back in the fifth inning as they loaded the bases on singles form Tristan Howerton and Richie Palacios, and a walk to Colin Dyer.  Brady Policelli was then hit by a pitch to score Howerton.
• KSU pushed across two more runs in the home-half of the inning to extend the lead to 5-1.
• A.J. Gallo was hit by a pitch to start the sixth before advancing to second on a wild pitch and third on a groundout.  Cuinn Mullins drove in Gallo with a sacrifice fly to right field.
• After KSU got the run back in the bottom of the inning, The Tigers mounted a three-run rally started by a Palacios double to left center.  Dyer followed with a single before Policelli delivered a sacrifice fly to left field.
• With two outs, Colin Gimblet and Richard Miller collected back-to-back RBI singles.
• The Tigers completed the comeback in the eighth inning as Dyer sparked the two-out rally with a base on balls.  Policelli plated Dyer with a double to right center before scoring on a Chris Henze single to center.
• That would be more than enough for reliever Kyle Stricker (3-1).  The left hander allowed just one run and struck out four over 4.2 innings.
• Skyler Morris did not factor in the decision after making his first career start.  The freshman allowed five runs, one earned, on five hits and three strikeouts over 4.1 innings.
• Richard Lovelady (2-3) took the loss after surrendering two runs one hit and one walk over two-thirds of an inning.
• Palacios anchored the 12-hit attack by going 3-for-6 with a double and a run scored.
• Policelli finished 1-for-3 with a double and three RBIs.

 
How it Happened (Game 2)

• The Owls again jumped out to the early lead as they plated three runs on five hits.
• The Tigers would rebound to take the lead with a six-run third inning.  Palacios and Dyer started the one-out rally with back-to-back base hits. 
• That was followed up with three-straight RBI singles from Policellie, Henze and Gallo.
• With two outs, Clark Clatchey reached on a throwing error, allowing Gallo and Henze to score.  Clatchey would then get in a run-down between first and second, allowing Miller to score from third.
• Towson would add to its lead in the fourth after a throwing error allowed one run to score and Henze delivered an RBI single to right field.
• KSU began its comeback in the home-half of the inning as a triple to left center was followed by a LaDonis Bryant RBI single to left.
• The sixth inning saw the Owls take the lead for good on a Chris Erwin two-run home run to right field.
• KSU added two insurance runs in the eighth on a run-scoring single from Taylor Allum and an RBI double to right center from Austin Upshaw.
• Paul Beers (0-2) took the loss after allowing three runs on three hits and two walks over 2.1 innings.
• Logan Hutchinson (2-1) tossed 4.1 shutout innings to earn the victory.  Erich Stahl (4) pitched a scoreless ninth to earn the save.
• The Tigers collected 12 hits for the second-straight game.  Palacios, Policelli, Henze and Miller each had two hits. 
• Henze drove in two runs, while Palacios and Dyer each scored a pair of runs.

 
On Deck
The two teams will close out the three-game series Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.