March 16, 2008
KSU-Kent State Box Score
KSU-Birmingham-Southern Box Score
KENNESAW, Ga. - The rains of Saturday gave way to sunny skies on Sunday as Kennesaw State wrapped up the Owl Classic by splitting a pair of games. KSU fell to Kent State, 2-0, before rebounding to down Birmingham-Southern, 1-0, in eight innings in the final game of the two-day tournament at Bailey Park.
The Owls (21-7) were forced to cancel their two games form Saturday due to poor weather and were chopping at the bit to fit the field on Sunday. But halfway through game one against the Golden Flashes (12-5), the hometown team might have had other thoughts.
Kennesaw State found itself trailing through the first inning, 1-0, after doubles by Kim Hamilton and Jamie Fitzpatrick rattled Owls starter Angela Lopez (4-4). Hamilton led off the game and placed an 0-2 pitch into right center before scoring on Fitzpatrick's line-drive that landed in nearly the same spot.
Meanwhile, the Owls struggled offensively and didn't notch their first hit until the fourth inning when Jacki Warren singled to right field. Unfortunately, Kelsey Kulk followed by grounding out to the catcher for the third out of the frame.
Kent State's Gabrielle Burns (5-2) was lights out for the Golden Flashes, picking up the complete game shutout, allowing just three hits while striking out 10 Owls batters. Lopez was tagged with the loss, going just 2.1 innings with an earned run, two walks and two hits. Brittany Matthews came in relief and threw 4.2 innings, allowing Kent State's insurance run in the top of the seventh to round out the scoring.
Game two was a classic pitcher's duel, as Jessica Cross (4-1) and BSC's Betheny Reynoldson (9-5) tried to one-up the other. The first real scoring chance came in the KSU half of the third when Cross walked to load the bases with one out. But as they had been in the previous game, the Black and Gold bats were stymied, as Corri Connally and Warren each struck out swinging to end the hopeful prospect of the game's first run.
Birmingham-Southern (13-10) threatened in the top of the fourth as Grace Stokes walked and DiAmond Jordan singled to put two runners on base. But Cross squashed that chance when she got Anne Lawrence to ground out for the third out of the inning.
Neither team had much of a real scoring chance until the top of the eighth when the international tie-breaker was instituted. Lawrence was placed on second to start the extra inning and Stephanie Barlow was first to bat. After running the count to 2-2, Barlow raked a Cross offering into centerfield, but a brilliant throw by centerfielder Lyndsay McCurry gunned down the speedy Lawrence and Jenna Closner laid a beautiful tag to record the first out and only real threat for the Panthers. Cross got Melissa Revis to ground out and Kayla Backlund to line out up the middle to bring KSU to the plate with a chance for the victory.
Catherine Rodriguez entered to run at second and advanced to third when a throwing error put Amanda Malcom on and runners at the corners. It wouldn't take but three more pitches for Kennesaw State to score its only run of the day when Connally hit a deep ball to center, giving Rodriguez more than enough time to tag up and cross the plate for the one-run victory.
The Owls will be back in action on Friday as they open Atlantic Sun Conference play by traveling to USC Upstate for a Friday doubleheader. KSU will be back home on March 25 to host a doubleheader with the University of Albany.
