THE BASICS
Records: Kennesaw State (8-8), Western Carolina (7-9)
Score: Kennesaw State 12, Western Carolina 3
Starting Pitching Matchup: LHP Dillon Bray vs. LHP Chris Erwin
Key Players: Griffin Helms (2-for-5, 4RBI); Grant Williams (2-for-6, 4RBI); Terence Norman (2-for-3, RBI); Chris Erwin (6.0IP, win)
 
Box Score (PDF) | Box Score (XML)

THE STORYLINE: 
· Seven the Kennesaw State's 12 hits came over the first three innings, which proved to be plenty Thursday afternoon as the Owls defeated host Western Carolina at Hennon Stadium, 12-3.
· A seven-run second frame set the tone offensively for the Owls, as five of their first seven hits were extra base hits including a grand slam and a two-run home run off the bats of Griffin Helms and Grant Williams, respectively.
· With the victory, the Owls evened their record to 8-8 overall while Western Carolina drops to 7-9 on the season.  
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
· The Owls' bats set the tone early and often, exploding for seven runs on five hits in the second inning to take a quick 7-0 lead over the Catamounts.  
· In the frame, Kennesaw State brought 11 to the plate as Williams' two-run RBI double, Helms' grand slam and freshman Terence Norman's RBI double handed the Owls a lead they would never surrender.  
· KSU extended its lead to nine in the top of the third inning, as Williams followed his second-inning success with a two-run home run in the third, making it 9-0.
· Outside of a two-run bottom fourth inning for Western Carolina, starting LHP Chris Erwin (1-1) was flawless for the Owls in his second start of the season.
· The lefty worked a season-high 6.0 frames, allowing just two hits on six scattered hits to earn the win. He also struck out three and kept the Catamounts scoreless in five of his six innings.
· The 9-2 score remained true until Kennesaw State's bats once again came alive with four hits in the top of the eighth including an RBI single off Austin Upshaw's bat and a two-run RBI triple off senior Corey Greeson's bat to give the Owls their largest lead of the game.
·Offensively, Kennesaw State was led by Williams (2-for-6, four RBI), Helms (2-for-5, four RBI), Norman (2-for-3, RBI), Greeson (1-for-5, two RBI) and Upshaw (2-for-5, RBI), as the five Owls combined for nine of the 12 hits and drove in all 12 RBI.
 
#NESTNOTES: 
· The Owls' seven-run second inning marked the second time this season Kennesaw State scored seven in a single inning.
· Ironically, both times KSU scored seven runs in a single inning (vs. Winthrop, at WCU) came in the second frame of those ballgames. It marked the sixth time since 2013 the Owls scored seven in a single frame – 200-plus games over that span.
· Kennesaw State snapped a three-game losing skid to Western Carolina at Hennon Stadium with its win on Thursday afternoon.
· Terence Norman led off the second with a single, marking the fifth time in seven games the freshman has totaled at least one hit in a ballgame. He was a home run and a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.
· Junior Griffin Helms hit his first collegiate career grand slam for the Black and Gold, and now has two HR on the season. He has totaled a hit or more in nine of his 12^th starts, and his
· Helms, in fact, totaled four RBI on the day which is a new career high for the junior.
· Grant Williams hit his first home run of the season and third of his career with a two-run homer in the third frame.
· The Owls totaled 10 hits in the day, marking the ninth time in 16 games the team has totaled 10 or more hits in a single game.
· Kennesaw State scored 10 or more runs in a single game for the fourth time (vs. Western Michigan, vs. Winthrop, at Middle Tennessee) this season.
 
UP NEXT
Kennesaw State returns home for a three-game series March 17-19, welcoming No. 12 Oklahoma Sooners to Stillwell Stadium. All three games will air on ESPN3, with Nathan McCreary and Scott Whitlock on the call. Friday's game is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.