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Kennesaw, Ga.  – The Kennesaw State baseball program defeated William & Mary Friday (March 20) evening, 3-2, in the first of three non-conference games in front of 605 fans at Stillwell Stadium. The Owls backed Jordan Hillyer's gutsy performance on the mound to move to 10-10 on the season, and dropping the Tribe to 10-7 overall. 

Hillyer, a junior from Dacula, Georgia, controlled the game from the start, tossing 25 of his first 31 pitches for strikes. The righty allowed two hits in the first inning, but did not allow another base hit until the seventh frame.
 
"I thought he was dominating throughout the game," head coach Mike Sansing said. "He threw the ball extremely well and got some offensive help from his teammates."
 
Hillyer's strong effort began by retiring 13 of his first 16 batters faced, including seven strikeouts through the first six innings of play.
 
The Owls' offense proved to be beneficiary of the effort, plating the game's first run in the bottom half of the third inning. Corey Greeson, who finished the game 2-for-2 with a run scored, led off the frame with a double down the left field line – as the Calhoun, Georgia native reached base in all his at-bats. Chris Erwin –who entered the game with a team-leading .344 batting average –followed a Kal Simmons walk with an RBI single to plate Greeson from second.
 
Erwin's RBI single gave him 14 RBI on the season, which is tied for the most on the team, and 13th RBI over his last eight games. The RBI single also marked the 12th time this season the Owls have scored the game's first run, improving to 10-2 on the season when taking an early lead.
 
As Hillyer continued to roll on the mound by retiring the next six batters, Kennesaw State extended its lead in the bottom half of the fifth inning to 2-0. Freshman Grant Williams, who finished the game 2-for-3 with a pair of runs, led off the frame with a single to center field. Williams eventually crossed home plate from a defensive error to double KSU's lead.
 
Meanwhile, Hillyer held the Tribe in check until the top of the seventh when Ryder Miconi hit a game-tying two-run home run over the right field wall. It was the Tribe's only extra base hit of the game, as William & Mary entered the game ranked inside the top 15 in the nation with 47 extra base hits.  
 
Hillyer, however, bounced back with a scoreless eighth after Erwin's sacrifice fly ball in the bottom half of the seventh gave the Owls a slight 3-2 lead. The right-handed pitcher finished his night by striking out his final two batters, giving him a new career high 13 strikeouts.
 
"We have a long way to go this season, but I felt like he (Hillyer) was very strong late in the game with a lot of pitches thrown," Sansing said.
In all, Hillyer (2-2) allowed two runs on four hits in 8.0 strong innings on the mound. The junior walked four and struck out 13.
 
"I felt great out there tonight. I located my pitches early and really got into a good groove," Hillyer said.
 
Leading by a run entering the ninth, the Owls gave the ball to junior Will Lowman. The Grayson, Georgia native allowed just one hit and no runs to secure the victory. It was Lowman's first career save to help the Owls snap a three-game losing skid.
 
Kennesaw State will return to action tomorrow (March 21) in a rescheduled doubleheader against William & Mary. The twinbill will begin at approximately 2 p.m. at Stillwell Stadium to conclude the three-game series.
 
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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