By: by Scott Lipsky
Box Scores: Game One Game Two
Belmont- Friday, 2 p.m. EDT: Live Stats Game Notes
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Jessica Cross and Amanda Henderson both had solid pitching performances on Thursday evening, but the Kennesaw State Owls struggled offensively, falling in a pair of games to the Lipscomb Bisons, 2-0 and 1-0.
The Owls (26-22, 8-8 Atlantic Sun Conference) had just eight hits across the two games and stranded 11 base runners, first falling to the Bisons’ (25-17, 12-4 A-Sun) Whitney Kiihnl, the 2010 A-Sun Player of the Year, who struck out 13 in the first game, and then to Ali Watson, who pitched a masterful six and a third innings before Kiihnl came in to close out the game.
After getting six strong innings in the pitcher’s circle from freshman Amanda Henderson, whose only blemish in her outing came when she allowed a solo home run to Courtney Billington in the second inning, Kennesaw State had an opportunity late in the second game to tie or take the lead. The Owls put runners on first and second with one out on the strength of singles by Bianca Durant and Lyndsay McCurry. Watson would then be replaced with Kiihnl, who struck out Cat Tarvin and Jensen Hackett to end the game. Tarvin came inches away from possibly giving the Owls the lead, roping the first pitch she saw from Kiihnl down the left field line, but it landed just foul, allowing the hosts to escape their biggest scare of the night.
Cross was impressive in the pitcher’s circle for the Owls, notching her ninth complete game of the season while giving up just two runs on four hits in six innings, while striking out six. She would allow the first run of the game in the first inning, as a seeing-eye single up the middle by Caroline Mason would drive in what would prove to be the winning run. She would keep the deficit at one run all the way until the sixth inning, when Vanessa Medina hit a solo home run to provide Lipscomb with an insurance run.
“Tonight was a learning experience for our players. In order to compete at the highest level, there aren’t going to be very many opportunities to score, and you have take advantage of the ones you get,” Owls head coach Scott Whitlock said. “I thought that was the difference tonight. Amanda and Jessica both pitched very well, and so did Lipscomb’s pitchers. They were just able to pounce on the few opportunities we gave them.”
Durant was the lone player to have hits in both games for the Owls, who move into a tie for the fifth seed in the A-Sun Tournament with Mercer, after the Bears swept Belmont on Thursday evening. Cross went 2-for-3 in the first game.
Henderson allowed just two hits and struck out eight in her effort in the second game, falling to 5-7 on the season. Cross is now 12-7 after falling in the first game.
The Owls have another pair of games slated for Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. EDT, when they take on the Belmont Bruins. Live stats will be available for the game.
