By: by Scott Lipsky
Box Score
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – Abbey Meixel tossed a complete game on Thursday evening, but it wasn’t enough, as the Kennesaw State Owls fell on the road to the Jacksonville State Gamecocks, 5-4, in extra innings.
Leading, 3-2, heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, the Owls (13-7) would allow the Gameocks (11-6) to tie the game for the second time during the game, as Krystal Ruth would take a Meixel offering out of the park to straight-away center field, dead-locking things up at three. Meixel was able to keep the Gamecocks from scoring again in the seventh inning, sending the contest into extra innings.
Kennesaw State scored their fourth and final run of the game in the top of the eighth inning to once again take the lead, when Lindsay Vollmer hit a two-out double to center field to score Bianca Durant, who was placed on second base to start the inning since the International Tie Breaker rule was in effect.
The long ball is what would do the Owls in on this night, though, as Jacksonville State went deep once again to lead things off in the bottom of the eighth. With a runner placed on second, Kristin Graham would send everyone home with a blast to left center field, sending the Owls to their second consecutive extra-innings defeat.
“Whenever you lose two straight in extra innings, it’s hard to swallow,” Owls head coach Scott Whitlock said of his team, who fell, 2-1, in eight innings to Penn State on Tuesday. “On the bright side, however, we’ve now played two very good teams really tough, and have competed to the very end. For us, it’s just about getting over the hump and turning these tough losses into victories.”
Whitlock’s club struck first in the top of the first inning when Sara Sikes worked out a walk and then Sharon Swanson hit a line drive to right field that went off the glove of the right fielder and went to the wall, putting two runners in scoring position with one out. Sikes would then score on a wild pitch to put the Black and Gold on the board early.
The Owls would continue to take advantage of defensive miscues by the Gamecocks throughout the game, as all four runs they scored would be unearned in the wake of the home team’s three errors. In the second inning, with the score tied, 1-1, Vollmer would walk and get to third base with two outs and Ashlee Burkett at the plate. Burkett would hit a popup between shortstop and second base just past the infield dirt, and the JSU shortstop seemingly made the catch with her back to the infield before the ball popped out of her glove, allowing Vollmer to score and putting the Black and Gold back on top, 2-1.
The very next inning, Sharon Swanson would lead things off with a routine ground ball that hit off of the shortstop’s glove and bounded into foul territory down the left field line, with Swanson alertly hustling to second base. She would score two batters later on a two-out base hit by Cat Tarvin to center field, giving the Black and Gold their first hit of the game, but a 3-1 lead, nonetheless. The hit also broke the Gamecock’s streak of exactly 13 innings pitched without allowing a hit.
Though she allowed four home runs on the evening, Meixel was solid in the pitcher’s circle, striking out eight and allowing just five hits in her second complete game of the season. She pitched well under pressure, on four occasions stranding Jacksonville State runners to end innings.
Tarvin and Vollmer led the Owls at the plate, snagging two hits apiece, with Sikes and Jensen Hackett recording the other hits for the Owls.
The Black and Gold play again on Tuesday when they visit Alabama State for a doubleheader, with first pitch being scheduled for 6 p.m.
