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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Kennesaw State baseball team scored five unanswered runs on Friday afternoon, taking the Atlantic Sun Conference series opener 5-1 over Northern Kentucky at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex.
 
The Owls extend the nation's longest win streak, taking home their 14^th in a row, moving to 28-20 on the season and improving their A-Sun standing at 19-9. KSU also remains perfect in the all-time series over NKU, making it 4-0 Owls, while dropping the Norse to 14-32 on the year and 6-16 in the conference.
 
After allowing the first run of the game to NKU on an unearned error to left field, the Owls swung fortune back in their favor, bringing in three runs in the top of the third to take the 3-1 lead.
 
KSU picked up on back-to-back singles from Matt Bahnick and Clint Wynn followed by a pair of fielder's choices to put the Owls on the ropes with two outs. Jacob Bruce then stepped up in the clutch, belting a bases-clearing double to score Kal Simmons and Wynn. Max Pentecost then extended his hit streak to 29 games with an RBI single, scoring Bruce to put the Owls up by two.
 
The Owls then added on two more in the fifth, Alex Liquori sending a triple down the right field line to bring home Brennan Morgan before Bahnick tapped the RBI single one batter later, scoring Liquori for the 5-1 score.
 
NKU threatened, putting runners in scoring position in both the seventh and eighth innings, but KSU starter Jordan Hillyer didn't budge, taking the Owls through the eighth with the lead before James Connell finished off the Norse in the ninth, swinging the series in favor of the Owls 1-0.
 
Hillyer, now 6-3, went eight innings from the mound, allowing just five hits without an earned run while striking out six, taking over the team lead in strikeouts at 61 with his six during the win.
 
At the plate Pentecost led the Owls with his three hits in five at bats, all singles, while driving in one run. Pentecost now makes it 10 straight games with two or more hits and 11 total with three.
 
The catcher also stole a pair of bases to give him 14 on the year.
 
Liquori, Bahnick and Wynn also had multi-hit days, each knocking two, Liquori earning a double and a triple with an RBI and a run scored while Bruce earned two RBIs with his bases clearing double.
 
From the field, KSU committed just one error while turning a pair of double plays.
 
The two teams will square off again on Saturday, May 10, at 1 p.m. ET for game two of the three-game A-Sun series.
  
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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