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KENNESAW, Ga. – With a pair of homers from Brennan Morgan and Colin Bennett on Friday night, the Kennesaw State baseball team took a 9-6 Atlantic Sun Conference win over East Tennessee State, the ninth consecutive victory for KSU.
 
Justin McCalvin earned his ninth save of the season during the outing, tying a KSU NCAA Division I record for the Owls as KSU moves to 23-20 on the year and at .500 in league play at 9-9.
 
Kennesaw State enjoyed 15 hits, the 25^th time this season the Owls have put up double-digit hit totals, as KSU dropped the Bucs to 20-20 overall and 8-7 in the A-Sun.
 
The Bucs were first one the board during the series opener, putting across two runs on a hit and a KSU error in the top of the first for a 2-0 lead.
 
KSU then answered with three runs of their own in the home half, Kal Simmons scoring on the RBI single from Jacob Bruce to scratch across the first run of the night for the Owls. Max Pentecost then knocked his A-Sun leading 17^th double and extended his hit streak to 24 games with a shot to left field, scoring Bruce.
 
The Owls then took the lead with a single from Alex Liquori that drove in Pentecost for the 3-2 home team lead. Liquori would go on to steal second and third before the end of the productive inning.
 
Colin Bennett then padded the lead in the bottom of the third, sending an off-speed pitch over the left field wall, scoring Liquori as well, for a 5-2 Kennesaw State advantage.
 
One inning later the Owls managed to scratch across two more with Bruce driving in Simmons on a triple followed by a Pentecost RBI single that sent in Bruce for the five-run lead.
 
Zach Thompson then led the Bucs off with a double to the left side in the top of the fifth, getting the offense going for ETSU. Thompson then scored on a KSU error with two outs to bring the KSU edge down to 7-3.
 
The Owls threatened in the bottom of the sixth, Jeremy Howell starting things off with a single before a Pentecost opposite field shot was kept in the park by ETSU right fielder Tyler Roach to end the inning.
 
After coming in as a pinch runner in the fifth, Brennan Morgan came up to bat in the bottom of the seventh and sent his third homer of the year soaring over the left field wall, putting the Owls up 9-3. The two-run bomb also scored Liquori who picked up a triple down the right field line.
 
But ETSU would keep things interesting, scoring three runs in the top of the eighth on three hits and a throwing error, setting the score at 9-6 Owls.
 
McCalvin then came on for the last, closing out the Bucs with just three batters faced for the save.
Simmons, Bruce, Pentecost, Liquori, Bennett and McGowan each knocked two hits, Simmons and Pentecost earning doubles, Bruce and Liquori hitting triples and Bennett and Morgan shooting home runs.
 
Jordan Hillyer earned his third consecutive win from the hill, going the first eight innings allowing just seven hits and four earned runs with four strikeouts.
 
The Owls and the Bucs will square off again on Saturday, April 26, at 2 p.m. ET with Travis Bergen on the hill for KSU. Head football coach Brian Bohannon will also be on hand to throw out the first pitch.
  
To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State baseball news, follow the team on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and @KSUOwlsBaseball or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook.

For more information on how to purchase tickets, please call the KSU ticket office at 770-423-6957, or by visiting KSUOwls.com/tickets.
  
 


 
 

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