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FLORENCE, Ala. - The Kennesaw State baseball team (19-8, 7-2) exhibited another impressive offensive display against North Alabama (4-24, 3-8) to clinch a series sweep with a 14-4 victory Sunday afternoon in Florence, Ala.
While the Owls had relied on home runs for most of this weekend's offense, it was small ball that won the day for the visitors in the series finale. The runs started coming early for KSU, with a sacrifice fly from Tyler Tolve and a one-run knock off the bat of Garrett Hodges securing an early 2-0 lead in the first inning.
After finding himself on one end of a sacrifice fly after hitting a leadoff double in the first inning, second baseman Jesse Sherrill contributed one of his own to score Logan Fink in Kennesaw State's second frame.
Hitting his first career home run in Saturday's game, Fink continued a strong weekend with a blooped RBI double to shallow left field to extend his team's lead to 5-0. The first baseman would score himself as Jake Coro squeezed a hit through the middle in the third inning.
Nick Colina continued his elite-caliber weekend with a two-RBI base hit in the top of the fifth inning. The left fielder had an offensive explosion in the set of weekend games against North Alabama, going an incredible 9-for-13 at the plate; Colina hit three home runs, eight RBIs and walked four times over the three games. Designated hitter Nick Hassan capped the top half of the fifth inning with an RBI single to grab a 10-3 advantage.
Andrew Grogan was unlucky to not get the win for the Owls, pitching 4.2 innings and allowing no earned runs. Relief pitcher Nathan Holler picked up the decision, striking out two North Alabama hitters in 1.1 innings pitched.
Tolve drove a stake into the Lions' chances in the top of the ninth inning, as he cleared the loaded bases with a double to the left-center gap; the three-run two-bagger established the 14-4 scoreline that ended the game.
Kennesaw State picks up its second series sweep in a row and eighth consecutive win, with the Owls outscoring the Lions 33-9 over the weekend. The KSU lineup was clutch all day, with 10 of its 14 runs coming with two outs.
The Owls are due for a quick turnaround, with a Tuesday rematch in Jacksonville, Ala. against Jacksonville State at 7 p.m. EST.
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.
