April 16, 2008
Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
Photo Gallery
KENNESAW, Ga. - It was a recording setting afternoon on Wednesday as the Kennesaw State softball team swept an important Atlantic Sun Conference doubleheader from in-state foe, Mercer, at Bailey Park. The Owls took game one, 3-1, before shutting out the Bears, 3-0, in the nightcap.
The Owls (31-15, 9-7 A-Sun) secured the 1,000th and 1,001st career wins for head coach Scott Whitlock. The Black and Gold's skipper is now 1001-186 in his 23rd year at the helm of the KSU program.
But that wasn't the only milestone reached on the day, as senior pitcher Brittany Matthews set a new single season mark for strikeouts to stand atop the KSU record books with 254 strikeouts. The record-setting sit-down came in the final inning of game two, propelling Matthews to her fifth save of the season and yet another record in the illustrious career of the Brooks, Ga., native.
KSU struggled through the first two innings of game one, unable to put anything together against Mercer pitcher Jeni Holtz (12-6). But the third inning was another story as the Owls seven batters to the plate in the frame.
Hollie Huffman led off the inning with a double down the right field line and scored on the next play as Sarah Hesterman doubled to the center field fence to put KSU ahead, 1-0. After loading the bases with a failed fielder's choice attempt and an intentional walk, Hesterman ran home on a wild pitch for the Owls' second run of the game. Amanda Malcom followed with a sacrifice bunt to allow Lyndsay McCurry to push the Black and Gold's third and final run across the plate.
The Bears (29-19, 9-8) answered back in the fourth, scoring a single run to pull to within two. Jamie Madruga, the A-Sun leading hitter, reached base after being hit by a pitch and advanced to second after an Ashley Anderson fly-out. Madruga scored on the next play after screening Malcom at short, causing her to misplay a grounder and allowing the Bears' first baseman to score easily from second.
But Matthews (19-7) settled down and allowed just two more hits down the stretch. The hard-throwing lefty finished the first game with 14 strikeouts, the most since a 16-strikeout performance at Jacksonville State on February 27. Holtz took the loss for the Bears, surrendering five hits and fanning five batters in six innings of work.
Kennesaw State got on the board early in the nightcap, bringing home two runs in the bottom of the first. McCurry and Catherine Rodriguez drew walks to start the frame and a single by Jessica Cross allowed McCurry to score the first run of the game. Two batters later, a wild pitch allowed Rodriguez to score, stretching the lead to 2-0 and bringing a close to Natalie Jones' day, who fell to 4-3 after going just 0.2 innings with one hits, four walks and two earned runs allowed.
Cross added an insurance run in the sixth by smacking her team-high 12th home run of the season deep to left field, giving the Owls the 3-0 advantage. The Tunnel Hill, Ga., product got it done in the circle as well, going five strong innings, giving up just one lone hit and three walks, while striking out three.
Matthews earned the save after throwing the final two innings of scoreless ball, giving up just two hits while also fanning three Mercer batters.
The Owls will be back in action tomorrow night as they close out their seven-game homestand with a 6:30 p.m. showdown against Jacksonville State.
