LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Left-hander Jake Rice remained undefeated in leading Kennesaw State to a 5-2 win over the Bellarmine University baseball team in ASUN action Friday at Knights Field.

Rice improved to 6-0 on the year after allowing one run on four hits with four strikeouts against two walks in 8.0 innings pitched for the Owls (20-9, 8-2 ASUN), who earned their 20th win of the season in the series opener against Bellarmine (10-20, 5-8).  

Kennesaw State built a 5-0 lead after five innings, but senior right-hander Anthony Ethington and freshman right-hander Devin Ecklar held the Owls scoreless thereafter while combining for 4.1 scoreless innings of relief for the Knights.

One encouraging sign for Bellarmine was that Matt Higgins returned to the lineup after missing several games with injury save a few pinch-hit appearances. The junior designated hitter went 1-for-3 with an RBI single and collected a walk. Higgins drove in senior catcher Patrick Arndt, who doubled leading off the sixth.

Bellarmine added one more run in the ninth after senior third baseman Josh Finerty doubled off the wall and scored on junior shortstop Clayton Mehlbauer's single. The Knights twice had the tying run at the plate in the final inning before KSU closed it out.

Six different players had one hit apiece for Bellarmine, which hosts the Owls in the second of the three-game series at 2 p.m. (ET) Saturday.

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