By: KSU Sports Information
Box Scores: Alabama State
Bradley
Phyllis Rafter Memorial Home
Saturday Live Stats: Robert Morris
Saint Louis
WOODSTOCK, Ga. – The bats were out in full force on Friday afternoon, as the Kennesaw State Owls were able to out-muscle the Alabama State Hornets, 11-0 and the Bradley Braves, 10-1 during the first day of the Phyllis Rafter Memorial at Twin Creeks Softball Complex.
The Owls (8-1) hit a total of seven home runs during the afternoon, three of which came from Lindsay Vollmer, who hit a grand slam in the opener against Alabama St. (1-7) before going long twice immediately after against Bradley (4-7). The home runs give her a total of five on the season, which at the moment puts at the top of the Atlantic Sun Conference in that category.
Vollmer’s grand slam came as part of a five-run fourth inning against the Hornets, and followed lead-off round-trippers by Kaylee Williams in the second and Swanson in the third. The home run for Williams was the first of her collegiate career, and for Swanson, the shot to dead center was her fourth of the season.
Already up, 9-0, heading into the fifth inning, the Black and Gold added some insurance runs, first on a wild pitch with the bases loaded and then via an RBI single by Swanson. Swanson was 3-for-4 against Alabama State and 2-for-3 against Bradley, one of four Owls to have at least one multi-hit game and joining Vollmer as one of the two Owls to do so in both contests on the afternoon.
Vollmer would be responsible for the initial big inning for the Owls against the Braves, hitting a three-run shot with one out in the second inning to make it 3-0. She would be followed to the plate by Amanda Burns, who would slam her first home run of the season to centerfield, hitting the scoreboard, to make it 4-0. They would score four runs again in the fourth, once again with Vollmer starting things off, this time with a lead-off home run. A two-RBI double by Carly Van Auken would plate two more before she was driven in thanks to a Jessica Cross single.
Leading, 8-1 in the bottom of the fifth, Jensen Hackett would send everyone home, driving a pitch over the left centerfield fence to make it 10-1, triggering the eight-run rule and ending the game. The home run for Hackett was her first of the year.
In an afternoon in which the offense pounded out 21 hits in 10 innings, the Owls pitchers were dealing. Cross would toss five shutout innings against Alabama State, allowing just five hits while striking out eight for her second complete game shutout of the season to move to 3-1 on the spring.
Amanda Henderson, the reigning Atlantic Sun Conference Pitcher of the Week, allowed a solo home run in the top of the third, one of just two earned runs she’s allowed this season in 20 and a third innings pitched, in an otherwise commanding effort. The sophomore would grab her third victory of the season while striking out seven over five innings.
The Black and Gold start things off at Twin Creeks on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. when they take on Robert Morris, and then play later that evening against Saint Louis at 6:00 p.m.
