Records: Kennesaw State (3-2), Jacksonville State (3-2)
Score: Kennesaw State 5, Jacksonville State 10
Starting Pitching Matchup: LHP Jack Pierce vs. RHP Gabe Friese
Key Players: Corey Greeson (2-for-4, 1 RBI); Griffin Helms (2-for-4); Austin Upshaw (1-for-4, 2 RBI); Jordan Getzelman (1-for-4, 1 run)

Box Score (PDF) | Box Score (XML)

KENNESAW, Ga. –  The Kennesaw State Owls baseball team dropped game two of the weekend series against Jacksonville State, losing 10-5 at Stillwell Stadium on Saturday (Feb. 27) afternoon.
 
The Owls (3-2) totaled five runs on 10 hits on the day, as Corey Greeson (2-for-4) and Griffin Helms (2-for-4) combined for four of the 10 hits. KSU got another big swing from sophomore Austin Upshaw, hitting his fourth home run in five games while finishing 1-for-4 with two RBI on the day.
 
Gabe Friese, who earned a no decision on the day, pitched well for the Owls in his second start of the season. Friese, a Kennesaw, Georgia native, tossed 5.0 strong innings and allowed just six hits and two runs in his outing.
 
Friese also struck out four batters and issued just one walk on the day, while throwing 51 of his 73 pitches for strikes Saturday afternoon.
 
Trailing 2-0 while managing only three hits throughout the first five innings, the Kennesaw State bats come out in the bottom half of the sixth with two home runs to take a 3-2 lead.
 
After Jacksonville State quickly recorded the first two outs in the frame, Greeson, a Calhoun, Georgia native, jumpstarted the inning with a solo home run to left field – who made his first start of the 2016 season.
 
The frame continued after Chris Erwin –who finished the day 1-for-4 at the dish— singled and Upshaw, who entered the game batting .625 with three home runs, extended his hitting streak to five  games with a two-run homer over the right field wall, giving KSU a 3-2 lead.
 
However, Jacksonville State answered with four runs in the top half of the seventh and four runs in the ninth to overcome the deficit to force a rubber game on Sunday afternoon. The Gamecocks totaled 13 hits on the day to help earn the hard-fought win.
 
Up Next
The Owls will return to action at Stillwell Stadium on Sunday (Feb. 28) afternoon, taking on the Gamecocks in the series finale. The Owls will then return to action with two mid-week games at Stillwell Stadium next week, taking on Ohio and Charlotte.  
 
Sansing Quote
"Jacksonville State swung the bats extremely well. They came out today aggressive and played very well. Gabe Friese pitched well, but JSU swung very good today and we got down early. We need to minimize the four run innings and handle that better. It has fun watching Austin (Upshaw) hit. He has been hot to begin the season and is playing well."
 - Kennesaw State Head Coach Mike Sansing
 
Notes
- The Owls and Gamecocks have no played in nine consecutive seasons, dating back to the 2007 campaign.
- JSU and KSU have played a three-game weekend series along with a midweek for three consecutive seasons, including 2016.
- Last season, Kennesaw State took 2-of-3 over the three-game weekend series at Rudy Abbott Field, before dropping the midweek game to finish an even 2-2 against each other.
- Heading into the weekend, Kennesaw State holds a 16-12 mark since 1991.
- Austin Upshaw extended his hitting streak to five games with his fourth home run of the season.
- Upshaw is batting .550 on the season with a high-team seven RBI on 11-for-20 at the dish.
- Griffin Helms totaled two hits for the second straight game. He is 4-for-8 over the weekend thus far.
- The Owls five players hitting over .400 in five games.
- Corey Greeson made his first start of the 2016 season, going 2-for-4 at the plate.
 
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.