DECATUR, Ga. - The Kennesaw State baseball team (13-8, 4-2) relied on fabulous pitching and big hits from its veteran core to take down the Georgia State Panthers (5-18) in a 5-1 contest on Friday night in the GSU Baseball Complex.

Being held hitless for the first three innings, the Owl offense got going in the top of the fourth inning. It all began with a Jesse Sherrill walk, a free base for one of the most dangerous baserunners in the ASUN Conference. The second baseman was able to show off his wheels when Alex Carballo hit a double to the wall after it was misjudged by the GSU left fielder. Sherrill crossed the plate and so did Carballo, after right fielder Terence Norman sent a base hit back up the middle to score his fellow outfielder and take a 2-1 lead for Kennesaw State. 

Jake Rice (5-0, 1.67 ERA) got back to his dominant self, picking up the win in five innings while striking out seven Panthers. The Owls' ace allowed a lone run off of five hits, a performance that ties the ASUN lead for pitching wins with five. 

The Owls loaded the bases in the subsequent inning after a Jake Coro walk, and a run was scored when Sherrill grounded out to his Georgia State counterpart at second base. Tyler Tolve then cleared the bases with a knock down the left-field line to score Coro and designated hitter Nick Hassan. The catcher's base hit established a 5-1 lead for the Owls and a place in the top-five RBI batters of the ASUN with 19 runs-batted-in this season.

Nathan Holler continued an impressive day for the KSU pitching staff, shutting out Georgia State and striking out five for a two-hit, four inning save; the save is the freshman's first of the season. 

The win is the first of a four-game series between the Panthers and Owls, with the two teams alternating host sites. KSU and GSU will wrap up the portion at GSU Baseball Complex with a 2 p.m. game on Saturday.

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.