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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Kennesaw State baseball team (20-9, 8-2) relied on another stellar performance from ace Jake Rice to take down Bellarmine (10-20, 5-8) in a 5-2 Friday matinee in Louisville, Ky. 

The Owls scored before their opponents for the eighth straight game, when right fielder Terence Norman grounded into a fielder's choice and the Bellarmine second baseman threw a potential double play ball away from the first baseman. Kennesaw State speedster Jesse Sherrill was able to score easily, giving KSU the early 1-0 advantage in the first inning. 

The next inning, senior Garrett Hodges slammed a solo shot over the center-field wall to put him level with the team's home run leader Tyler Tolve with his fifth goner of the year. 

Norman and Hodges would come through for their team again in the third inning, with a one-run base hit each in the third inning. The two veterans would be the only Owls with an RBI in the game. 

Kennesaw State scored their fifth and final run in the fifth inning, when designated hitter Nick Hassan took a wild pitch for ball four and Nick Colina slid home safely. 

Rice pitched a total of eight innings, a tally that no other KSU pitcher has reached this year. In that time, he held Bellarmine to one run on four hits and struck out four Knights. The graduate's sixth win of the season draws him in a tie for the ASUN lead in wins. 

It wasn't just the Owls' ace who returned to the lineup; Norman marked his comeback with an RBI and center fielder Alex Carballo walked three times. 

This was Kennesaw State's 20th win in 29 games, the quickest that the program has won 20 games in its Division I history. 

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.