By: by Scott Lipsky
Game One Box Score I
Game Two Box Score
KENNESAW, Ga. – Abbey Meixel stepped up with a big pitching performance in game two to go along with timely hitting and some good breaks in the first game, and at the end of a long afternoon the Kennesaw State Owls walked away with a doubleheader sweep over Atlantic Sun Conference rival Belmont, 7-5 and 2-0, on Friday.
The Owls (19-16, 5-3 A-Sun) scored four runs in the fifth inning of the first game to cap a comeback from a 3-0 deficit. Trailing 3-2 after they scored two runs in the third to begin to cut into the Bruins’ lead, their first run of the fifth came across by way of an RBI single by senior Kelsey Kulk to tie the game.
Immediately following a pitching change by Belmont (6-32, 2-8 A-Sun), the Owls dug in, taking advantage of an illegal pitch and an error on the third baseman to score Kulk and give Scott Whitlock’s club the lead, a lead they would not relinquish. Hannah Graham would then single, and after Jensen Hackett was hit by a pitch, Belmont would commit another error off the bat of Klair Wells that would bring in two more runs and give the Owls a 6-3 cushion.
Redshirt sophomore Jessica Cross pitched the first game, and like Meixel, went the distance. She allowed five runs, but just two of them were earned, and she struck out six to get the win and move to 11-4. Herself, along with the rest of her team, was the beneficiary of three Belmont errors in the first game, which gave the Owls multiple chances to score runs despite notching just five hits.
Meixel came out and established herself in the pitcher’s circle early in the second game. She retired the first seven batters she faced, a streak that was snapped only when she committed a throwing error to first base with one out in the third. Overall, she allowed just five hits and struck out 10 on her way to her sixth win of the season and second complete game shutout.
The Owls gave Meixel all of the run support she needed in the second inning. After Kulk and Hackett walked, they were able to advance into scoring position on a pair of wild pitches and then scored on an RBI double by Klair Wells to put the only runs that would be scored on either side on the board. Wells’ hit was the second of the only two in the second game for Kennesaw State, following an Ashlee Burkett double in the first inning.
“Any time you win two conference games, you have to feel good about it, regardless of how you play,” Whitlock said following the contest. “We’re a young team, and we don’t worry about the opposition, we just worry about ourselves, and to win these games were very positive for us. In addition, Abbey stepped up and gave us a great game when we needed it.”
The Owls have a quick turnaround, as they host A-Sun leader Lipscomb tomorrow at 2 p.m. at Bailey Park as part of Lexi’s Day. All proceeds will go towards the Alexis Kaiser Foundation, an organization that raises money for children with Cerebral Palsy and other special needs.
Owls Head Coach Scott Whitlock Discusses the doubleheader sweep
Kelsey Kulk's RBI single in Game One
