THE BASICS
Records: Kennesaw State (13-17, 2-2), USC Upstate (14-18, 1-3)
Score: Kennesaw State 4, USC Upstate 0
Starting Pitching Matchup: RHP Jordan Miller vs. RHP Tony Dibrell
Key Players: Tony Dibrell (CC, 9.0IP, 13K); Taylor Allum (2-for-2, two RBI); Chris Erwin (1-for-4, two RBI)
 
Box Score (PDF) | Box Score (XML)
 
THE STORYLINE: 
· A complete-game shutout by RHP Tony Dibrell propelled Kennesaw State past USC Upstate at Stillwell Stadium, taking the series opener Friday night, 4-0.
· The right arm of the Alpharetta, Ga., native dealed 13 strikeouts –tying his career high—while allowing just three scattered hits in his first career complete game to lift the Black and Gold.
· With the win, Kennesaw State improved to 13-17 overall and evened its ASUN record to 2-2, while USC Upstate dropped to 14-18 overall and 1-3 in league play.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
· Dibrell (3-2) was magical all night, recording at least one strikeout in eight of his nine frames, throwing nine straight goose eggs on the right field scoreboard for the Spartans offense.
· The junior faced no more than four Spartan hitters until the ninth inning, throwing 71 percent of his pitches for strikes and faced just six over the minimum.
· After allowing two hits over his first three innings, Dibrell got better as the game went deeper sitting down 17 of his final 19 batters, including 11 in a row from the sixth to the ninth.
· Chris Erwin and Taylor Allum picked things up offensively for KSU, as the Grayson, Ga., natives drove home all four RBI on the night.
· Erwin's RBI single in the first gave Kennesaw State a lead it would never surrender, as the two-way senior finished the night 1-for-4 with two RBI.
· Allum continued to stay aggressive at the plate, totaling his third double of the season in the bottom of the fifth, driving in a pair of runs to push the Owls' lead to 3-0, before Erwin drove in the final run of the game in the seventh.
· That would be more than enough for Dibrell, who worked 1-2-3 innings in the sixth, seventh, and eighth –where he struck out the side—, before working out of the ninth scoreless with runners in scoring position to complete the game.
 
#NESTNOTES: 
· Taylor Allum singled to left field in the bottom half of the first inning, reaching base safely in 24 straight games. The KSU D-I record is 36 games by Max Pentecost in 2014.
· Grant Williams' single in the seventh inning extended his hitting streak to 15 games. His 15-game hitting streak is a team and season high for the junior.
· Tony Dibrell struck out 13 batters for the second time in a game this season, sitting two shy of teammate Chris Erwin's 15-K performance in 2015 at Georgia Southern for the most punch outs in a single game in KSU D-I history.
· His complete game was the first thrown since Gabe Friese throw a one-run complete game on May 16, 2015 at North Florida, and first complete game shutout since Jordan Hillyer did it on April 18, 2015 versus FGCU.
· The Owls have now won 11 of their last 12 games versus USC Upstate, outscoring them 88-48 during that stretch.
 
UP NEXT
Kennesaw State and USC Upstate turn around and play Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. on ASUN.TV. The second game of the ASUN series will be played at Stillwell Stadium as the Spartans' Kevin Hickey matches up with Owls' AJ Moore on the hill.