MARIETTA, Ga. – The FIU baseball program dropped the second game of its weekend series against Kennesaw State on Friday evening, falling 13-3 in eight innings at S. Walter Kelly Sr. Memorial Field.
FIU (22-16, 6-7 CUSA) got on the board early, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Brylan West lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Alex Ulloa. Kennesaw State (19-19, 9-5 CUSA) answered in the bottom half, tying the game 1-1 on a wild pitch following a strikeout.
The Owls took the lead in the third inning after a failed pickoff attempt at first base, followed by a throwing error from West that allowed the go-ahead run to score. The Panthers responded in the fourth when Andrew Ildefonso hit a grounder that slipped past the first baseman, bringing home West with two outs to tie things up.
However, Kennesaw State broke the game open in the fifth with an eight-run outburst, jumping ahead 10-2. Kishon Frett launched his team-leading 15th home run of the season in the sixth to cut into the deficit, but the Owls added single runs in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings to close out the contest and secure the series win.
Offensively, FIU tallied five hits, led by Frett's two-hit performance. He reached base three times and has now homered in five of his last six games. Frett also leads Conference USA in home runs during league play with nine. Ulloa and Javier Crespo each recorded a hit, while Austin Dearing extended his hitting streak to seven games with a single.
On the mound, Owen Puk made his 10th start of the season, tossing three innings and allowing just one earned run while striking out six. Logan Runde (3-5) was tagged with the loss after surrendering six runs in 1.1 innings. Tracen Cameron and Bryce Turner also saw time in relief, while Tristan Dietrich recorded a career-high two innings pitched, allowing two earned runs and striking out three.
UP NEXT
FIU closes out the series on Saturday, April 19 at 1 p.m. It will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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