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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Kennesaw State baseball team dropped game two of the weekend series to the University of North Florida on Friday (May 15) afternoon at Harmon Stadium. The Ospreys (42-13, 16-4) scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to extend their winning streak to 14 games, defeating the Owls (27-26, 9-10) by a final score of 5-4.

KSU recorded at least one hit in eight of the nine innings, out-hitting UNF 13-8 in the game. KSU was paced offensively by Brennan Morgan (3-for-4, RBI), Alex Liquori (2-for-4), Jeremy Howell (2-for-4) and Kal Simmons (2-for-5), as the four combined for nine of the 13 hits on the day.

Freshman Griffin Helms brought home the Owls' fourth run of the ballgame in the top of the seventh inning, with a pinch-hit double play ground out to break a 3-3 tie. But with two outs in the bottom half of the ninth, UNF hit a walk-off single to shallow left field over the outstretched arms of Simmons with runners on second and third to clinch the ballgame to earn the weekend series win.

The Owls received a gutsy performance from Travis Bergen (6-3), allowing three runs on just six hits over 8.0 innings. The lefthander stuck out two on the day while leaving seven Osprey runners on the bases in his hard-fought no decision.

On the other side, North Florida used four pitchers to counter Bergen on the mound, as Matthew Naylor (8-0) picked up the win. Naylor tossed 2.1 innings in relief work, allowing no runs on just one hit in the contest.

Kennesaw State plated the game's first run in the top half of the first inning. Grant Williams—who finished the game 1-for-3 with an RBI and two sacrifice's— got things going with a single to right field and
eventually scored five batters later off an RBI single from Morgan, giving the Owls a 1-0 edge.

KSU continued to be aggressive offensively in the second inning, extending its lead to 2-0 with an RBI sacrifice bunt off the bat of Williams. The inning got start as Kennesaw State recorded back-to-back singles before the freshman from Atlanta, Georgia laid down a sacrifice bunt to score his freshman classmate Taylor Allum–who singled earlier in the inning—from third base.

North Florida got one back, though, in the bottom of the third inning, coming off the bat of Donnie Dewees. With one out in the frame, Dewees hit his 17th home run of the season over the right field wall to pull the Ospreys within 2-1.

Kennesaw State doubled its lead once again with a run in the fourth, taking a 3-1 edge over North Florida. KSU played small ball in the fourth, as Howell led things off with a single and worked around the bases with a sacrifice bunt from Williams before getting knocked home off an RBI single up the middle from Simmons.

Trailing by two, UNF scored four of the final five runs of the game to earn the win. The Ospreys were able to tie things up in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run home run before eventually needing the final two runs of the ballgame in the ninth to secure the win.

Kennesaw State and North Florida will conclude its three-game set Saturday (May 16) afternoon, wrapping up the regular season. First pitch Saturday is scheduled for 1 p.m.

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.