By: by Scott Lipsky
Live stats Game Notes
KENNESAW, Ga. – The Kennesaw State Owls will try to extend their three-game winning streak starting on Tuesday at 2 p.m., when they host the Penn State Nittany Lions. The UConn Huskies then visit Bailey Park on Wednesday for a doubleheader, also at 2 p.m.
The Owls (13-5) have won each of their last three games, all a part of the Georgia Tech Buzz Classic, in different ways, relying on both their offense and defense as well as timely hitting. In their win over Boston University on Friday evening, they trailed, 4-3, before Jessica Cross led off the bottom of the seventh with a solo home run to tie it up, with Jensen Hackett hitting a walk-off, bases loaded, infield single with two outs in the inning to win it. They would then explode for 12 runs in five innings in their, 12-1, victory over Niagara later that evening. Owls sophomore Lindsay Vollmer drove in six of those runs in the rout.
After their Saturday game against UMass was canceled due to inclement weather, pitching was the name of the game, as they edged out Austin Peay, 1-0, despite getting just three hits. Junior Jessica Cross, the Atlantic Sun Conference Preseason Player of the Year, was dominant on the mound, allowing just one hit and striking out eight in her fifth complete game of the year, allowing the Owls to capitalize on a pair of errors by Austin Peay to score the lone run of the game in the sixth inning.
Penn State (7-5) has played all of their games down south thus far this season, and will not make their home debut until Mar. 24. Like the Owls, they participated this past weekend in the Buzz Classic, and like the Owls, they went 3-0, defeating UMass, Miami (Ohio), and Jacksonville State. They are led at the plate by senior outfielder Mary Ostman, who is currently batting .316, but are much more dangerous in the pitcher’s circle, with pitching duo Lisa Akamine and Jackie Hill combining so far this season to pitch 78 of their team’s 81 innings to a tune of a 1.17 earned run average, tossing four shutouts in the process.
The Owls and Nittany Lions met for the first and only time Mar. 13 of last season in Clearwater, Fla., as part of the USF Underarmour Classic, Penn State coming away victorious, 5-0.
In UConn (4-4) the Owls find a team that, like Penn State, has not yet played at home this season, and, unlike Penn State, are most dangerous when it comes to their offense. The Huskies went 2-1 at the Buzz Classic this weekend and visit Auburn on Tuesday before coming back to the Atlanta area to face the Owls in a doubleheader on Wednesday.
Their biggest threats at the plate include junior third baseman Amy DeLuca, who is currently batting .423 to lead the team, and senior second baseman Julianne Towers, who leads the team with three home runs and 11 RBI to go along with her .346 batting average.
Wednesday’s meeting will be the first games played between the two programs.
The Black and Gold have already had some success against programs from the “Power Six” conferences this season, having defeated Georgia Tech and Mississippi State earlier in their schedulel.
In addition to their game against the Owls on Tuesday, the Nittany Lions will also play at Bailey Park against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, with first pitch for that game scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
Tickets for both Tuesday and Wednesday’s games are six dollars for adults and four dollars for youth in eighth grade or younger. All KSU students will be admitted free with a valid student ID.
Live stats will be available on both days.
