By: by Scott Lipsky
Box Score I
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A-Sun Championship coverage
DELAND, Fla. – Jessica Cross had another terrific outing in the pitcher’s circle on Thursday night and added a solo home run to put the Owls in a great position to come away with their second straight victory to open up the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament, but the Stetson Hatters rallied for four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning in front of their home crowd to pull out a tough, 4-3, decision. The Owls will face Lipscomb in an elimination game on Friday afternoon at 1 p.m.
Up 3-0 entering the final inning, the Owls (27-25), the number three seed in the A-Sun Tournament, had gone 27 consecutive innings without allowing a run, dating back to their May 8 doubleheader sweep of North Florida to close out the regular season. Cross, who had thrown a two-hit shutout in the first game on Thursday morning, a 1-0 victory over USC Upstate, started the second game, as well, tossing four scoreless innings before being replaced with freshman Abbey Meixel. Meixel had been solid since taking over in the circle, having tossed two scoreless frames to put the Owls just three outs away from a 2-0 start to the tournament and a spot in Friday’s 6:00 p.m. game.
The Hatters (34-19), the tournament’s number two seed, put pressure on Kennesaw State right away in the bottom of the seventh, as Chelsea Whalley singled to lead things off and put their leadoff batter on base for the fifth time in the game. Brittany Knipp would follow with a ground ball to shortstop that Klair Wells wasn’t able to handle, bringing the tying run to the plate. Owls head coach Scott Whitlock would opt to put Cross back in the game at pitcher, and she quickly induced a ground ball which led to a fielder’s choice and an out.
It was at this point, however, when the momentum began to change. Stetson’s Chelsey Trotto would double down the left field line on 1-1 pitch from Cross to put the Hatters on the board and make it a 3-1 contest. After a groundout from Amanda Lindsey put the second out up on the board, the Owls intentionally loaded the bases to face freshman Jordan Kleghorn, who responded with an RBI single to left field, easily scoring Amy Joyce from third and plating Trotto after a throw home from left field was off the mark. It was over quickly after, as Jill Semento hit Cross’ first offering through the left side of the infield to score Jessica Lokeinsky and cap off a whirlwind comeback for the Hatters.
The Owls took an early lead in the ballgame, as Cross complemented her lights out pitching with her 12th home run of the season in the top of the second inning, a line drive that just cleared the right field fence to give Kennesaw State an early, 1-0, lead. The game would remain 1-0 until the fifth inning, when freshman Ashlee Burkett laced a single to left field to score Lyndsay McCurry and Erica Joseph to make it 3-0 and give the Owls what seemed to be a comfortable cushion. McCurry went 2-for-3 in the ball game, making her the only Owl to notch hits in both contests on Thursday.
Kennesaw State will take on the number-one seed Lipscomb Bisons at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. The Bisons defeated Campbell, 4-1, on Thursday afternoon, before dropping a 3-2 decision to USC Upstate on Thursday evening. The two clubs split their April 10 doubleheader in Kennesaw with one another. The winner of Friday afternoon’s contest will take on Stetson at 6 p.m. Live stats will be available throughout the Owls tournament run.
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| Ashlee Burkett hits a two-out, two-RBI single in the fifth inning to give the Owls a 3-0 lead |
