Clark Atlanta wasn't able to hold onto early inning leads in both games of a doubleheader that they dropped to Kentucky State Saturday at Bill Evans Field in College Park, Ga.
In the first game, the Panthers (2-11, 1-4 SIAC) erased a second-inning, 1-0 deficit when
Khalil Manuel doubled to center, driving in
Andrew Gaskin. Manuel then scored himself on
Deandre Swift's groundout to first, giving CAU a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second inning.
But a three-homer (one inside the park) fourth inning allowed KSU to retake the lead. While the CAU bats cooled off the rest of the way, KSU put up a three-homer, 11-run sixth inning to put the game away with a 17-2 victory.
Gaskin finished with two doubles and scored a run for CAU while Manuel had a double. The Panthers also got hits from
Eason Bing,
Justice Page,
Arthur Burrell, and
Jalen Mason.
Adren Thompson hit three home runs, drove in seven runs and scored three times for Kentucky State. Dom Lawson, Collier Higgs, and Jaren Pierce also homered for the Thorobreds.
Michael Fegins took the loss for CAU, going five innings, striking out three, but giving up five hits and five earned runs. Dashawn Hureskin got the complete game win for KSU, striking out ten and giving up seven hits and walking two.
CAU jumped out early in the second game, with
Daniel Gay singling in Mason, Bing singling in Gaskin and Gay in the first inning as CAU took a 3-0 lead. The Panthers added a run in the second when Gaskin drove in
Arthur Burrell to make it 4-0.
KSU took over in the fourth when a CAU error on a pop fly led to Antonio Chambers and Aram Kumar scoring. Another CAU error allowed three more runs to score, giving KSU a 5-0 lead after four innings.
CAU could only manage two hits over the final three innings while KSU added two runs in both the fifth and sixth innings and a big seven-run, seventh inning to take the 16-4 win.
Gaskin had two hits, drove in a run, scored a run, and stole a base for CAU. Bing, Gay and Burrell also had hits for CAU. KSU was led at the plate by Roby Schank who went 3-for-4 with a homer, single and a triple and drove in five runs while scoring twice.
On the mound,
Lorenzo Petersen took the loss. He pitched four and 2/3 innings, striking out five, but walking eight. He only gave up four hits and seven runs, though only two of those runs were earned. Solomon Reed got the win for KSU, going five innings, strking out eight and giving four hits and four runs.
CAU is back on the diamond Wednesday, March 2 when they step out of conference play to take on Morris College in a doubleheader in Sumter, S.C.
