GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Kennesaw State Owls were swept in a three-game road series by No. 12 Florida this weekend, falling in their first away test of the season.

Facing one of the nation’s top programs, the Owls were challenged by Florida’s depth at the plate and consistency on the mound throughout the weekend.

The series opener Friday ended in a 9-3 loss. Florida’s starting pitching controlled the pace early, holding Kennesaw State quiet through the first seven innings. The Owls broke through in the eighth, highlighted by an RBI double from Shamaar McDuffie. Trenton Lyons added an RBI groundout, and Grayson McCollum lifted a sacrifice fly to account for the scoring.

Saturday’s contest resulted in an 11-0 defeat in seven innings. Despite the final score, Kennesaw State’s pitching staff combined for 11 strikeouts. Nate Helman and Peter Jezerinac each provided key relief innings, with Jezerinac recording a career-high three strikeouts.

Second baseman Wesley Alig extended his hitting streak during the series and continued to provide steady production at the top of the lineup. McCollum and McDuffie also reached base consistently throughout the weekend, maintaining early-season momentum.

The finale Sunday proved to be the most competitive of the three games. The Owls jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning behind RBI hits from Cooper Williams, Jackson Chirello and Charlie Jones.

Williams delivered a triple down the right-field line to score Lyons. Chirello followed with a run-scoring single, and Jones added another RBI knock to cap the early rally.

Florida responded with multiple-run innings in the middle frames, but Kennesaw State continued to compete. The Owls added two runs in the fifth and mounted a four-run surge in the ninth, bringing the tying run to the plate before ultimately falling 12-9.

Williams recorded his fourth multi-hit performance of the season in the finale, while Chirello continued his strong offensive start with multiple run-producing at-bats.

Though the results did not fall in their favor, the series provided an early measuring stick against ranked competition. Kennesaw State will look to build on the individual performances as it prepares for its next matchup.