Box Score (XML) | Box Score (.PDF) 
 
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KY. –  The Kennesaw State baseball team defeated Northern Kentucky Friday (April 10) afternoon, 8-5, taking game one of the Atlantic Sun Conference weekend series at Bill Aker Baseball Complex. KSU extended its winning streak to seven games over the Norse since 2013, as a pair of home runs and four RBI by senior Chris McGowan propelled the Owls to victory.  

With the win, KSU snapped a three-game A-Sun losing skid and improved to 3-4 in conference play, and moved to 17-16 overall. NKU slipped to 10-19 overall and 0-4 in conference action.

"It's always important to set the tone and win the first game," head coach Mike Sansing said. "I thought our guys kept battling in a tough game."

In a back-and-forth affair throughout the day, KSU allowed the first two runs of the game to Northern Kentucky on a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly ball in the second inning. But, the Owls swung fortune back in their favor, bringing in four runs in the top of the third to take a 4-2 lead.

Kennesaw State sent eight batters in the frame to give its largest scoring inning of the game. KSU picked up a pair of walks with two outs to put the Owls on the ropes. McGowan, who entered the game tied for the third-longest active hitting streak in the A-Sun, stepped up in the clutch, hitting a three-run home run to give KSU a two-run advantage.

McGowan finished the day 3-for-4 and extended his hitting streak to 13 games. During the stretch, McGowan is batting .383 with four doubles, two home runs and seven RBI. McGowan leads all active A-Sun players in career at-bats (729) and walks (104). He needs seven hits to crack 200 in his career.

"What a big home run in the third inning. It woke us up offensively and he Chris is having some good at bats," Sansing said.

NKU answered back with three straight runs to take a 5-4 lead. The Norse plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth with a solo home run and an RBI double by Cole Bauml. NKU followed the inning and scratched across a run in the bottom of the sixth with a sacrifice squeeze bunt to take a one-run lead.

The Owls, however, got the run back in the top half of the seventh off the bat of sophomore Chris Erwin. The left-handed batter, who hails from Grayson, Georgia, hit a game-tying solo home run to tie the game at 5-5. It marked Erwin's third homer of the season, and second in a week after hitting a grand slam against Stetson on April 4. He finished the day 2-for-3 with three runs and one RBI in the winning effort.

Kennesaw State carried its momentum into the eighth inning, plating three runs to extend its lead to 8-5, proving to be the difference maker in the game. McGowan continued his strong play at the plate, hitting a sac fly ball to score Cornell Nixon for the go-ahead run. In frame continued as KSU worked the bases loaded before senior Colin Bennett's pinch-hit, two-run RBI single gave the Owls
their largest lead of the game at 8-5.

Jordan Hillyer made his ninth start of the season for the Owls Friday afternoon, allowing five runs on six hits over 6.1 innings of work on the mound. Hillyer struck out five Norse batters to add to his A-Sun leading total.

Three relievers backed Hillyer out of the bullpen. Mason Ward, AJ Moore and Will Lowman closed the door to help the Owls earn the win. The three combined to allow just two hits and no runs as Lowman earned his third save of the season.

"I think Will cherishes those moments to come into the game late and he has been throwing well for us," Sansing said.  

Kennesaw State will return to action Saturday (April 11) afternoon, taking on the Norse in game two of the weekend series. First pitch is scheduled at 1 p.m. on the campus of NKU.

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).
 
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.