JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Kennesaw State baseball team will need to fight out of the loser bracket of the ASUN Championship after being edged out by hosts North Florida in a 6-5 contest Thursday afternoon in UNF's Harmon Stadium.

North Florida (22-21, 11-7) opened up the affair with a first-inning, two-run homer through ASUN Player of the Year Alex Kachler to take an early 2-0 lead. The Owls (29-21, 13-8) gave up another home run in the fifth inning, but the solo shot failed to prevent a KSU comeback.

In Kennesaw State's sixth-inning frame, the Owls were able to get two runners on with a perfect Alex Carballo base-hit bunt and a Terence Norman knock through the left side. Malik Spratling, who's had a knack for clutch hitting as of late, bounced a ball off the wall in left center to score both outfielders. Two straight walks would load the bases for KSU, who attempted to stack pressure onto the Ospreys. A Jesse Sherrill hit-by-pitch and a wild pitch would give the Owls a 4-3 lead, but the hosts were able to limit the bleeding.

After UNF scored three unanswered runs to recapture its advantage, the visitors found themselves in need of two runs to tie the game in the top of the ninth inning. Carballo would keep Kennesaw State's hopes alive with a laser over the right-field wall, but the Owls were unable to avoid a 6-5 loss.

KSU drops down into the loser bracket, where the Owls will face off against Northern Division top seed Liberty Friday morning at 11 a.m.

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.
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