By: by Scott Lipsky
Liberty Box Score I Tennessee-Martin Box Score
WOODSTOCK, Ga. – The Kennesaw State Owls began the 2010 Buzz Classic with a split against the Liberty Flames and Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks on Friday, dropping an 8-5 decision to Liberty before taking down Tennessee-Martin 5-3 in the nightcap at Twin Creeks Softball Complex in Woodstock, Ga.
Kennesaw State (9-5) fell behind in the first game, 5-0, as Owls starter Amanda Burns allowed two home runs in the third inning after shutting them down in the first to frames to put the Flames (5-2) out in front, 3-0. The lead would grow to 5-0 when Danielle Howard and Kelly Strickland, the two players who homered in the third inning, went deep again.
As they did on Thursday against Minnesota in their come-from-behind, 6-5 victory, however, the Owls did not back down, and made the game close in the bottom of the fifth. Freshmen Hannah Graham, Sharon Swanson, and Jensen Hackett all drew walks to lead-off the inning, loading the bases with nobody out. They would get two runs across, the first coming on an Ashley Burkett single with one out, and the next on a sacrifice fly by senior Kelsey Kulk to make it 5-2. The hit for Burkett was the first of five during the doubleheader for the freshman first baseman.
Liberty added some insurance in the top of the sixth, facing Burns, who would take the loss to move to 1-1 on the season, and freshman Abbey Meixel. The Flames would put three on the board after notching four hits, making the game 8-2 with only six outs to play with for the Owls.
After going quietly in the sixth, Kennesaw State gave it one last shot in their half of the seventh. With two outs and Burkett on first, Kulk walked and redshirt sophomore Jessica Cross, who has now had RBIs in seven of her last eight games, doubled down the left field line to score Burkett and Kulk, and then scored on an infield hit by Karlie Gillam. That would be all the Owls could muster in the first game, however, falling short, 8-5.
Head coach Scott Whitlock’s club quickly took command of their second game of the evening, scoring four runs against Tennessee-Martin starter Leevie Greenwood when the first four batters reached base for the Owls and were driven in on an RBI double by Cross and a three-run home run to left center field for senior catcher Jenna Closner, her fourth of the season, to give Kennesaw State a 4-0 lead right out of the gate.
The Owls added one more run in the fourth inning to make it 5-0 when Burkett drove a double to centerfield, driving home junior Lyndsay McCurry, who went 2-for-3 in the game.
Cross, after playing the role of Designated Player in the first game, took the mound against the Skyhawks, and improved to 5-1 after allowing just three earned runs on seven hits, striking out six. She was able to get out of a bases loaded jam without allowing any runs in the third inning, and retired the last seven Skyhawk batters after they closed to within 5-3 in the fifth inning.
“Our team was really resilient tonight, and I’m really proud of them,” Whitlock said. “We did a lot of positive things in both games, and I think we’re steadily improving. Tennessee-Martin is a very good team, so to come away with a victory against them is something to be proud of.”
The Owls continue in the Buzz Classic on Saturday at 11 a.m. when they take on Big East foe Seton Hall. It will be their only game on Saturday, as they face Akron and Western Carolina in the final day of the event on Sunday.
