April 18, 2009
Box Score
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A wild afternoon of softball finished in a disappointing way for Kennesaw State as the Owls lived by the longball and died by it on Saturday as Abby Keese hit a walk-off, three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Bisons defeated the Owls, 10-7, in the second game of a twinbill at Draper Diamond.
After the Owls (19-25, 5-11 A-Sun) won the opener on a Kelsey Kulk home run in the eighth inning of the first game, it appeared as if Kennesaw State would be in position for a sweep of the Bisons as the Black and Gold scored six runs in the top of the second inning to take a, 6-2, lead.
A pair of Lipscomb errors got things started in the inning as Catherine Tarvin reached on an error by second baseman Courtney Billington and Brittany Moore reached on an error by shortstop Keese. Kulk, the hero of the first game of the doubleheader, followed with a single for the Owls first run of the game.
A bases loaded walk to Jordan Hackett tied the game and the Owls took the lead with a two-run double to right-center field by Lyndsay McCurry. Hollie Huffman followed with a single for a 5-2 advantage before Klair Wells capped off the six-run frame with a sacrifice fly to center field.
Lipscomb (32-11, 10-4 A-Sun) chipped back at the KSU lead with a solo run in the second and third innings off starter Catherine Tarvin who surrendered seven hits and four runs (two earned) in two innings before giving way to Amanda Burns after one batter in the third inning.
The Bisons scored another run in the bottom of the fifth inning to come within a run of the Owls, but the Black and Gold were able to add an insurance run in the top of the sixth when Huffman singled home pinch-runner Jamie KeKaualua. The rally was cut short when Huffman was tagged out after she and McCurry ended up on second base after the hit.
Lipscomb tied the game off Tarvin, who re-entered the game in the sixth inning. Back-to-back doubles by Billington and Kellie Sirus cut the lead to 7-6 and brought in game one winner April Harper, who allowed the game-tying single to Keese, the eventual hero of the night who finished with four hits and five runs batted in.
Huffman led the Kennesaw State offense with three hits as she and McCurry, the one-two batters in the KSU lineup, combined to go 5-for-8 with fours runs batted and a run scored. Jordan Hackett was 1-for-3 with a run batted in and a run scored as the owls pounded out eight hits.
Mollie Mitchell had three hits for Lipscomb as the Bisons had six players with multi-hit games. Billington, Sirus and Caroline Mason all had two hits to lead a 17-hit attack.
The Owls will be back home on Tuesday evening when they begin their final homestand of the season against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks. The first of nine games to end the season will begin at 6:00 p.m. at Bailey Park.
