By: by Scott Lipsky
Box Score
KENNESAW, Ga. – The long ball was at work in Kennesaw State softball’s favor again on Thursday afternoon, as home runs by Jessica Cross and Sharon Swanson were able to propel the Owls to a come-from-behind, 6-5 victory over the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Bailey Park.
Down 5-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth inning, the Owls (8-4) had been unsuccessful in getting runs on the board against Minnesota pitcher Lacey Middlebrooks, the reigning Big Ten Pitcher of the Week. After Swanson was able to score with the help of two Gopher (7-10) errors, Scott Whitlock’s club took their first run and used it to build momentum quickly.
Hits by Ashley Burkett and Klair Wells later in the fourth brought Cross to the plate with two outs and a chance to put a dent in the Gophers’ lead, at that point still 5-1. She took an offering from Middlebrooks and smashed it out of Bailey Park to dead center field, her fifth home run of the season, all coming in the last five games. Overall, she is on a 9-for-16 tear over that span.
Still trailing 5-4 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, the Owls used their offensive firepower once again to give themselves their first lead that would prove to be only one they would need. With a new pitcher in for the Gophers, sophomore Alissa Koch, Kennesaw State quickly took advantage, as Hannah Graham led-off with a walk and was followed by Swanson, who battled her way to a full count before bashing a pitch well over the fence in left field. It was her second home run of the season, and was reminiscent of her first, against Middle Tennessee on February 19, as that one was hit out to left field as well.
“We’re always working on turning on inside pitches, and I was able to do that once again today,” said Swanson, a freshman.
Abbey Meixel earned the win for the Owls to improve her record to 3-3 in her freshman campaign. The right-hander from nearby Canton, Ga., gave up five runs, four earned, in her complete game performance, and was able to hold the Gophers scoreless over the last three innings to preserve the win.
“The first few times Abbey fell behind early, we put in someone else, but this time, we though it was important for her to keep working and keep us in the game,” said Whitlock. “Overall, I thought that this game was important for our young players and for our team as a whole. It taught us that we had to keep grinding it out even if we fall behind, and we can win.”
While Cross (2-2, 3 RBI) and Swanson (3-4, 2 RBI) provided the Owls’ run production on Thursday, it was a team effort offensively. Freshman first baseman Ashley Burkett (4-4) and junior second baseman Klair Wells (2-4) were the table setters at the top of the lineup, reaching base a total of six out of their eight plate appearances.
There will be little rest for the Owls. They begin three-days of competition in the Buzz Classic, hosted by Georgia Tech, on Friday at 4 p.m. when they take on Liberty, their of five games during the weekend. The event will be held at Twin Creeks Softball Complex in Woodstock, Ga., the site of the Phyliss Rafter Memorial, which the Owls hosted February 19-21.
“Playing six games in four days is going to give us a chance to continue to get better every day, and seeing all of these different opponents this week, we can give people on our roster different looks, which is good.”
The Owls will play Tennessee-Martin on Friday evening in their second game of the day. On Saturday, they will take on Big East foe Seton Hall at 11 a.m., before finishing up on Sunday against Akron and Western Carolina, starting at 11 a.m.
It will be the Owls first-ever meeting against Seton Hall and Stony Brook, while they are 0-1, 1-0, and 0-1 all-time against Akron, Western Carolina, and Liberty, respectively. They dropped a 4-1 decision to Akron on March 7 in Woodstock last season as part of the 2009 Buzz Classic.
