ATLANTA -- Georgia State fell to Kennesaw State 15-9 Tuesday at the GSU Baseball Complex.

Freshman Kalen Puckett drove in four runs and Luke Leonard homered to lead the Panthers (12-12), but KSU (13-12) managed two big innings, scoring six runs in the fourth and seven more in the seventh.

Making just his second start, Puckett was 2-for-3 with an RBI-single and a three-run double and also drew two walks.

Georgia State got on the scoreboard first with a run in the first inning as Justin Jones led off the game with a walk and scored on a wild pitch. After the Owls scored two in the second, GSU regained the lead in the bottom of the inning as Puckett and catcher Nick Gatewood delivered two-out, run-scoring singles.

But Kennesaw State erupted for six runs in the fourth to move ahead 8-3.

The Panthers answered with four runs in the sixth to pull within 8-7. GSU loaded the bases with no outs on singles by Will Kilgore and Luke Leonard and a walk to Enrique Ferrer. That brought Puckett to the plate, and he belted a double into the gap in right center to clear the bases and score three runs. Then Gatewood drove in his second run of the night with an RBI-single, pulling the Panthers within 8-7.

But that was as close as Georgia State would get because Kennesaw tacked on seven runs in the seventh to regain control.

Leonard, the junior center fielder, hit his first homer of the season with a two-run shot in the ninth inning for the final 15-9 margin.

The Panthers return to Sun Belt Conference play this weekend at Troy in a series that is scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday because of the Easter holiday.