THE BASICSRecords: Kennesaw State (18-19, 8-1) vs. USC Upstate (16-20, 1-7)
Final Score: KSU 14, USC Upstate 9
Starting Pitching Matchup: RHP Zach Mitchell vs. LHP Chris ErwinKey Players: Taylor Allum (2-for-4);
Jeremy Howell (2-for-4);
Austin Upshaw (2-for-4);
Grant Williams (2-for-5, 2 RBI);
David Chabut (2-for-5, 2 RBI),
Justin Motley (1-for-4, 2 RBI);
Brennan Morgan (2-for-5, 3 RBI)
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THE STORYLINE: · Kennesaw State used a pair of seven-run innings to overcome nine runs and 14 hits produced by USC Upstate, defeating the Spartans 14-9 at Harley Park on Sunday afternoon to earn an Atlantic Sun series sweep.
· Offense was the storyline of the ballgame, as Kennesaw State and USC Upstate combined for 23 runs on 30 hits in a Sunday afternoon slugfest.
· With the victory, Kennesaw State's record improved to 18-19 overall and 8-1 in the conference, while the loss dropped USC Upstate to 16-20 overall and 1-7 in the A-Sun.
HOW IT HAPPENED: · USC Upstate set the tone offensively in the ballgame, scoring in five of the first six innings, including eight runs on 11 hits through the first four frames.
· However, Kennesaw State answered back with a pair of seven-run innings to counter the Spartans attack with 13 hits over the fourth and seventh frames to take a 14-9 edge into the final 2.5 innings of play.
· In the fourth, the Owls jumpstarted the inning with a leadoff double off
Austin Upshaw's bat –who entered the day hitting .857 (6-for-7) for the weekend—, and was the start of a seven-hit flurry that reeled off seven runs as 10 Owl batters came to the plate in the frame, taking a 7-5 lead at the time.
· After Upstate answered with three in the fourth and one in the sixth to take a 9-7 lead, Kennesaw State returned the favor with a seven-run seventh on six hits that brought a total of 11 to the plate – taking a 14-9 advantage and the lead for good.
· The Owls also got key pitching out of the bullpen once again, as
Tony Dibrell worked 2.0 scoreless innings, allowing no runs and just one hit to keep the Spartans off the board.
Drew Reeves,
Brian Exley and
Erich Stahl also worked scoreless outings for KSU, while
Logan Hutchinson (5-1) earned the win.
· For the game, the Owls had seven batters have two hits in the ballgame and every batter in the lineup recorded at least one hit. Key contributors included senior
Brennan Morgan (2-for-5, three RBI);
David Chabut (2-for-5, two RBI),
Grant Williams (2-for-5, two RBI) and
Corey Greeson (2-for-4, two RBI).
INSIDE THE NUMBERS: · With the series sweep the Owls are now 18-7 against the Spartans since the 2008 season.
·
Austin Upshaw extended his hitting streak to seven games with leadoff double in the fourth.
· The Owls are now 8-1 in conference play, which is the best nine-game A-Sun start in program history since joining the league in 2006.
· For the 21
st time this season, Kennesaw State compiled at least 10 hits in a ballgame.
· The back-to-back A-Sun weekend series sweep was the first time since 2014 the Owls swept consecutive series.
QUOTABLE"It's a great weekend for us, for sure. We got to take each day and improve some things that we still need to work on. Our guys bounced back from Upstate's offense and I was excited about the win. I thought our guys had some good at-bats and had multiple hits from many guys. It was a good offensive effort."
--Head Coach Mike Sansing UP NEXT The Owls will continue play on the road, trekking to Jacksonville, Alabama, to take on Jacksonville State in a non-conference mid-week clash on Tuesday, April 19 at 6 p.m.
