By: by Scott Lipsky
Live Stats: UNF Jacksonville
Game Notes
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Kennesaw State Owls open up Atlantic Sun Conference play this weekend when they travel to the Sunshine State to take on the North Florida Ospreys on Friday at 4 p.m. and the Jacksonville Dolphins Saturday at 1 p.m. in a pair of doubleheaders.
The Owls (14-10, 0-0 A-Sun) have dropped five of their last six games, but were able to put seven runs up on the board in their second game of a doubleheader at Troy on Tuesday after they had scored just eight runs in the six games prior. Their struggles at the plate came to a halt in the nightcap of the twin bill, thanks to a three-run third inning and a four-run fourth, which included home runs by Ashlee Burkett and Jessica Cross. Cross also homered to account for the Owls’ only run of their first game, a 2-1, extra-inning defeat.
In order to be successful now that conference play has begun, it will be important for the Black and Gold to build on their strong offensive performance on Tuesday evening, as well as continue what has been a very impressive stretch of pitching by their four-deep pitching staff. The arms, made up of the junior Cross, sophomores Abbey Meixel and Cat Tarvin and freshman Amanda Henderson have pitched to a collective 2.83 earned run average throughout the course of the season, and have come on even stronger lately, sporting a 1.52 ERA over their last eight contests. During that time, Henderson has tossed two complete games, with Cross and Meixel being credited with one apiece.
Owls sophomore Sharon Swanson still ranks as one of the top hitters in the conference, entering the weekend batting .359, which is top 10 in the league. Her 28 RBI is also among the A-Sun’s best.
North Florida (15-14, 0-0 A-Sun) has also struggled at the plate in recent days, and are coming off of a doubleheader at the hands of Georgia Southern on Wednesday, in which they were shutout, 5-0, in both games. They currently rank seventh in the A-Sun with a .247 batting average and are led by junior outfielder Alyson Bailey, who comes into Friday batting .305 with a .396 on-base percentage and 13 RBI. Freshman outfielder Mariah Reynolds has provided the most power for the Ospreys, tied for the team lead with three home runs and leading the way with 15 RBI. Freshman Cortney Radke leads the way in the pitcher’s circle, sporting a 13-8 record with a 1.71 ERA.
The Black and Gold hold a commanding, 32-11, all-time series lead against the Ospreys, with the vast majority of those match-ups coming during the two program’s days as Division II Peach Belt Conference rivals. Since the two squads starting competing in the A-Sun in 2006, the Owls have still firmly held the upper hand in the proceedings, holding a 9-1 advantage.
While this season, the squads will kick-off conference play against one another, the two wrapped up their regular season at Bailey Park on May 8 of last season, with head coach Scott Whitlock’s club coming up victorious, 3-0 and 2-0, respectively, the Owls punching their ticket to their first A-Sun Tournament in the process. In both games, it was one swing of the bat that was the deciding factor, Sharon Swanson bashing a three-home run with two outs in the third inning to win the first game, and Cross hit a two-run shot to break a scoreless tie in the bottom of the sixth to win the regular season finale. Cross also tossed a three-hit shutout in the first game, while Meixel took to the circle and went the distance in the second half of the double-dip.
Jacksonville (18-12, 0-0 A-Sun) opens up their A-Sun slate on Friday when they host Mercer. Like the Owls, one of their victories this season has come over a team that was ranked in the top-25 nationally at the time of the game, defeating No. 22 Texas A&M, 3-1. They sport the reigning A-Sun Pitcher of the Week in junior Sarah Sigrest, who currently has a 1.16 ERA to help her to a 9-4 record. Junior Catcher Sarah Simon paces the Dolphins offensively, as she currently has a .325 batting average to along with four home runs and 20 RBI.
The Owls and Dolphins have met a total of 10 times, with the Owls holding a 6-4 advantage. Jacksonville visited Bailey Park the week before the Ospreys last season, shutting out the Owls 2-0 in each game of the doubleheader on Apr. 29.
Live stats will be available for both all four games. Fans can also follow along with a live blog on KSUOwls.com, courtesy of Cover It Live. ASun.TV, the conference’s subscription streaming service, will provide live video streaming for both doubleheaders.
