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Kennesaw, Ga. – The Kennesaw State baseball team won its sixth game of the season by defeating the visiting Huskies of Connecticut, 6-1, in the weekend series finale at Stillwell Stadium. The Owls (6-4) scored six runs on eight hits, and backed a strong pitching performance by Gabe Friese to earn the series finale against the Huskies (4-5).

"You got to battle through to get that last one," head coach Mike Sansing said. "Our guys played hard today and it was great to see."

Friese (2-1), a right-handed pitcher who hails from Kennesaw, Georgia, locked in early and often to help the Owls take game three of the non-conference weekend series. The sophomore threw 27 of his first 30 pitches for strikes, helping him retired seven of the first nine Husky batters.

For the game, Friese allowed one run on six hits while striking out seven batters in 6.0 innings of work.

"I located my spots today on both sides of the plate," Friese said. "I made quality pitches and it felt great to get the win."

With Friese strong early, the Owls backed him with two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take an early 2-0 lead. Chris McGowan – who finished the day 1-for-4—and Brennan Morgan each recorded and RBI in the bottom half of the fourth to give KSU a lead that remained true for the game.

Trailing by two, the Huskies cut the deficit in half with a solo home run off the bat of Blake Davey –his second in as many games—, but Friese continued to stay strong on the mound. The righty retired six of his last seven Husky batters to keep the lead intact.

The Owls' bats came through in the bottom half of the sixth inning, scoring four runs on five hits to extend their lead to 6-1. Chris Erwin –who finished his impressive weekend batting .583 (7-for-12)—started the inning with an RBI single to left field. After McGowan and Morgan each reached base, Alex Liquori hit his second home run of the season. This time, Liquori's homer over the left field wall plated three runs, giving the Owls a commanding 6-1 edge over the Huskies.

Leading by five, Erwin relieved Friese of his duties on the mound. The left-handed pitcher from Grayson, Georgia capped his strong weekend by throwing three scoreless innings to secure the victory. Erwin allowed no hits and no runs and only one walk in his flawless relief work out of the bullpen, allowing KSU to snap its three-game losing streak.

The Owls will be back in action next weekend (March 6-8) at Stillwell Stadium, welcoming UAB to town for a three-game weekend series. Friday's game is set to begin at 4 p.m.
 
Season tickets are currently on sale for the full 29-game home schedule at $39 per ticket. Single-game tickets are also available at $6 for adults and $4 for youth (ages 3-12). Group tickets for 10 or more people are available for advanced purchase, excluding the Georgia (Feb. 17), Georgia Tech (Mar. 17) and Georgia Southern (Mar. 24) games when individual tickets will be $10 for adults and $6 for youth. To order season tickets click here, or contact the KSU Athletic Ticket Office at 470-578-OWLS (6957).
 
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