By: by Scott Lipsky
Live Stats
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Kennesaw State Owls softball team will take its show on the road once again on Wednesday, when they face the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles in a neutral site game at Chattanooga State Community College at 5 p.m.
The Owls (17-15, 3-3 A-Sun) are coming off a disappointing performance on Monday evening, when they were swept in a doubleheader at UAB, 4-2 and 7-0. The Black and Gold were held to a total of just five hits over the two games, with Ashlee Burkett and Klair Wells providing the only run production, both notching RBIs in the seventh inning of the first game.
Burkett, a freshman, has now hit safely in 17 of her last 20 games, and her .346 batting average entering Wednesday is tops on the team and eighth in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
This will be the second time the Owls and Golden Eagles (14-21, 4-6 Ohio Valley) have met this year. The Owls hosted TTU as part of the Phyliss Rafter Memorial in Woodstock, Ga., on February 21, with the Golden Eagles getting the best of a young Owls squad, 9-1, in the club’s final game of the tournament. Overall, Tennessee Tech leads the all-time series, 5-4.
The Golden Eagles are led offensively by junior Callie Schmidt, who enters the game sporting a .269 average to go along with six home runs and 22 RBIs. Sophomore Maddie Schmissrauter is the anchor on the mound, with a 1.93 earned run average and 6-6 record that includes six complete game and three shutouts.
This game leads up to a big weekend for the Owls, who at 3-3 in the Atlantic Sun Conference find themselves in fifth place. They play A-Sun rival Belmont on Friday, followed by Lipscomb on Saturday. Both games are doubleheaders and will go a long way towards determining the Owls’ postseason fate. Only the top six teams make it into the A-Sun Championship every year.
First pitch on Wednesday is scheduled for 5 p.m., and live stats will be available.
