Records: Kennesaw State (5-3), Charlotte (5-3)
Score: Kennesaw State 8, Charlotte 12
Starting Pitching Matchup: LHP Matt Horkey vs. RHP Will Bice
Key Players:  Griffin Helms (2-for-4, 1 RBI); Corey Greeson (2-for-4, 3 RBI); Matt Mixon (2-for-5, 2 runs); Trevor Brown (2-for-4, 2 RBI)

Box Score (PDF) | Box Score (XML)

KENNESAW, Ga. – The Kennesaw State baseball team could not overcome an early 6-0 deficit on Wednesday (March 2) evening at Stillwell Stadium, dropping a non-conference mid-week clash to the visiting 49ers of Charlotte on a chilly night.
 
The Owls (5-3) were paced by Griffin Helms (2-for-4, one RBI), Corey Greeson (2-for-4, three RBI) and Matt Mixon (2-for-5, two runs) and Trevor Brown (2-for-4, two RBI), as the four players combined for eight of KSU's 13 hits on the night. The four also totaled six of the eight runs on the evening in the losing efforts.
 
Charlotte (5-3) placed four runs in the first and two more runs in the top half of the second frame to jump ahead 6-0 after an inning and a half. The 49ers saw leads of 6-0, 7-4 and 10-4 but KSU continued to claw back the entire game with resiliency the entire evening.
 
Will Bice (0-1) made his first collegiate start on the mound under head coach Mike Sansing, going 4.0 innings on the bump while allowing six hits and six runs (five earned) in a hard-fought loss on the evening.
 
Kennesaw State scored in four innings throughout the game, placing crooked numbers in  three of those frames. The Owls place two runs in the bottom of the second, two more in the bottom of the fourth and a game-high three runs in the sixth to pull within three runs on two separate occasions as well as a single run in the ninth.
 
Down 10-4 entering the bottom of the sixth, Greeson pulled KSU within three with one swing of the bat. The inning started when Brown, who scored a run and totaled two RBI on the night, and Helms reached base with two outs before the Calhoun, Georgia native right hit second home run of the season off the right field foul pole.  
 
For the game, the Owls used six pitchers as Jordan Versteeg made his 2016 debut on the night. Drew Reeves, Logan Hutchinson, Brian Exley and Turner Watkins all made appearances in relief of Bice out of the bullpen for KSU.
 
Up Next
The Owls will return to action this weekend, trekking to Birmingham, Alabama for three-game series against UAB on March 4-6. The Owls took 2-of-3 from the Blazers at Stillwell Stadium in 2015.
 
Notes
- The Owls fell to 5-3 on the season.
- KSU now has 10 or more hits in six of its eight games this season.
- Jordan Versteeg made his 2016 debut on the mound in relief on Wednesday night.
-  Griffin Helms, Corey Greeson, Matt Mixon, and Trevor Brown combined for eight of the Owls' 13 hits and scored six of the eight runs.
- Matt Mixon made his second start of the season and went 2-for-5 with two runs on the night.
- Drew Reeves made his second straight appearance in as many nights for the Owls out of the bullpen.
- Corey Greeson hit his second home run of the season, as the Owls entered the week ranked in the top 15 in home runs per game.

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