By: KSU Sports Information
Box Score
KENNESAW, Ga. – The Kennesaw State Owls fell behind early on Sunday afternoon and would trail throughout their contest against the Georgia Southern Eagles, falling, 9-0, at Bailey Park in the finale of their three-game series.
The Owls (16-15), who had dropped both games in a doubleheader against the Eagles (20-10) on Saturday, struggled right out of the gate on their way to their third straight defeat, allowing the first four batters to reach base, with two of them hitting home runs off of Owls starter Amanda Henderson, to take a quick, 4-0, lead. Henderson would right the ship for the foreseeable future, retiring the next nine batters she faced, but the hole would prove to be a daunting one for the Black and Gold.
Kennesaw State certainly had their opportunities, putting at least one runner on base in six out of seven innings on Sunday. Their best opportunity to put runs on the board essentially came in the bottom half of the first inning, when Natalie Rhodes started off what would be a 3-for-4 day at the plate with a single to left field, and was joined on base by Jessica Cross two batters later after the senior drew a walk with one out. The two would advance on a wild pitch, but would not come around, the first of three times on the sunny, but windy, afternoon in which they stranded two runners on base.
Henderson would find herself in more trouble in the fourth inning, committing an error to lead off the inning before eventually giving up a double and a single that would plate two more runs, ironically unearned, for the Eagles, who have now won seven in a row. She would work her way out of a bases loaded jam in the fifth inning without any further damage, but would once again load up the bases while this time giving up a run in the sixth before giving way in the circle to Monica Vickery. Vickery would induce a pop out to keep the score at 7-0 after five and a half, but would allow two more runs in the top of the seventh.
Rhodes was joined by Lindsay Vollmer (2-for-3) in the multi-hit department. Cross also reached base twice, hitting a single while also drawing a walk.
Henderson struck out seven batters over five and two thirds innings of work, allowing seven runs, four of them earned.
Kennesaw State will hit the road this week, starting out close by when they take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Mewborn Field in Atlanta on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. They then begin the heart of their Atlantic Sun Conference schedule, visiting East Tennessee State in a doubleheader on Friday before traveling to USC Upstate for two more on Saturday. They return to Bailey Park on Wednesday, Apr. 4, when they host Georgia Tech as part of Lexi’s Night, which will serve to raise money to benefit the Alexis Kaiser Foundation.
Weekend Notes:
-At the conclusion of the weekend, Owls sophomore
Carly Van Auken is now the only member of the squad to have started all 31 games this season at the same position, having been penciled in at shortstop for every contest of 2012 thus far. Fellow sophomore
Bianca Durant had started the first 28 games of the season in right field before missing both games on Saturday.
-This weekend’s three-game series was the first in the history of Kennesaw State Owls softball, home or away, since they began competing at the fastpitch level in 1991.
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Lindsay Vollmer hit safely in her seventh straight game on Sunday, capping off a week in which she was 6-for-12 with a home run and four RBI. She is hitting .476 (10-for-21) during her hitting streak.
-The Owls are now 15-9 all-time against Georgia Southern, and are 9-4 at Bailey Park against the Eagles.
