By: by Scott Lipsky
Box Scores: Game One Game Two
BUIES CREEK, N.C.- The Kennesaw State Owls had a record-setting opening game on Saturday afternoon, easily defeating the Campbell Camels, 17-1, before letting a 4-0 lead slip away in the second half of the twin bill and falling, 8-4, for a road split. Jessica Cross hit three home runs during the doubleheader.
“I’m glad we were able to hit as well as we did today, and we did some good things on defense, as well,” said Owls head coach Scott Whitlock. “I wish we would have pitched a little bit better in the second game, but we definitely took a step forward today as a team offensively.”
The Owls (21-18, 5-5 Atlantic Sun Conference) had struggled to generate offense early in games as of late, but they quickly put an end to that dubious trend on Saturday with an eight-run first inning that immediately put them in control of the opener. Bianca Durant was hit by a pitch, Ashlee Burkett would lay down a bunt single Sharon Swanson would walk to load the bases with one out. Jessica Cross would then step to the plate and seize the moment of opportunity, lining a pitch over the left center field fence for a grand slam to give the Owls a quick, 4-0, lead. The grand slam was Cross’ eighth home run of the year, and the third grand slam of the season for the Black and Gold.
After their initial lead, the Owls would continue to add to their advantage in the first inning. Jensen Hackett and Sara Sikes would hustle their way to infield singles with two outs, both driving in runs. They would continue to pile on, Durant scorching a liner down the right field line into the corner, scoring Sikes and Hackett and making it an 8-0 contest. By the time Burkett grounded out to the shortstop to end the top of the first frame, the Owls had brought 12 runners to the plate and had an 8-0 lead, giving Cross a nice cushion in the pitcher’s circle.
That run support would only grow larger, the Black and Gold putting up five runs in the second inning to make it a 13-0 lead and put the game. Cross, who was 3-for-4 with five RBI in the game, once again got the offense going, this time crushing a high-soaring ball over right center field, a solo shot that gave the Owls a 9-0 advantage and gave Cross her second multi-home run game of the season. Whitlock’s club would add four more in the inning, and then score four more in the fourth inning to make the lead insurmountable.
Cross made sure not to squander the lead that she played such a big role in building, tossing five innings in the pitcher’s circle and allowing just one earned run to Campbell (24-19, 8-4 A-Sun) on four hits while striking out five.
“I’ve been in kind of a hitting slump lately, so I was just trying to relax and make some good swings today,” said Cross, who was 2-for-20 over her last seven games heading into Saturday, “The hard work that I’ve been putting into my hitting paid off this afternoon, the home runs were just a product of that.”
The Black and Gold put themselves in position for another comfortable win in the second game, with Jessica Cross once again building the foundation. This time, it was a three-run home run in the first inning by the junior that put the Owls on the board, coming on the heels of Burkett and Swanson walks. A Burkett RBI single in the second inning would make it 4-0.
The Camels, who were honoring seven of their departing players on their Senior Day Saturday, would not leave the field empty-handed, however. Led by left fielder and senior Lauren Stephan, who would hit three home runs in the second game, the home squad would score three runs in the second inning and four runs in the fourth to make up their deficit and then some, before adding an insurance run in the sixth.
The Owls had two runners on with one out in the seventh inning in a last attempt to try and sweep the double dip, but didn’t convert, ending the ball game and the afternoon.
Abbey Meixel started the second game for the Owls, throwing three and a third innings and allowing four earned runs on three hits to go along with three strikeouts. Amanda Henderson took over with one out in the fourth inning, and allowed four runs with two and two-thirds innings to take the loss and move to 4-6 during her freshman campaign.
The Owls 17 runs in the first game tied for the second most the Owls have scored since joining Division I in 2006, and the most they have ever scored on the road. They scored 19 runs against Furman on Mar. 9, 2006, and also scored 17 against Troy on Feb. 23, 2010, both of those performances coming at Bailey Park. The run total is the highest ever for the Owls in an A-Sun game since joining the league in 2006.
Kennesaw State returns home on Tuesday, when they host Alabama-Birmingham at Bailey Park for a doubleheader at 4 p.m. The game is a make-up of the doubleheader between the two squads originally scheduled for Mar. 30.
