By: KSU Sports Information
Box Scores: Game 1 Game 2
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Kennesaw State Owls hit four home runs and scored in each of the last five innings on Saturday to defeat the USC Upstate Spartans, 7-2, and split an Atlantic Sun Conference doubleheader. They wrap up the weekend 3-1 over A-Sun opponents, sweeping East Tennessee State on Friday night before falling in the opener to Upstate in the opener Saturday, 1-0.
“While we’re certainly not satisfied and we have a lot of work to do, we are very happy to be able to go on the road and take three of four on the road in conference play, and be 4-2 overall in the A-Sun without having had a league game at home yet,” Owls head coach Scott Whitlock commented.
The Owls (19-17, 4-2 A-Sun) recovered quickly from being one-hit in the opener against the Spartans (28-6, 2-2 A-Sun), tying the game up at 1 in the top of the third on a lead-off home run by Jamie Saunders before scoring two runs in the fourth, one in the fifth, two in the sixth and one in the seventh to pull away.
Kaylee Williams and Saunders hit two-out, RBI singles in the fourth inning to put the Black and Gold ahead, 3-1, and after Upstate got one back in the bottom of the frame, Jessica Cross put the Owls back up by two runs with a two-out, solo blast to right centerfield, her first of two home runs in the contest. Bianca Durant hit her fourth home run of the season in the sixth inning, a screamer that sailed over the left field fence, for the first of two runs in the frame, and Cross would hit her second long ball to a similar spot in the seventh to round out the scoring.
The big hits by Williams and Saunders, who batted seventh and eighth in the lineup during the second game, respectively, was just one example of the strong production from the bottom of the order throughout the weekend. Over the course of four games on Friday and Saturday, the seven through nine spots in the Owls order hit a combined 14-for-33, or .424, driving in eight runs along the way.
“We really got a huge lift from Jamie Saunders in the second game at the plate today, she continued the trend that we saw this weekend from the bottom of our lineup,” Whitlock said. “We know the middle of our batting order is going to hit, so for the bottom of our order to be contributing the way they did these four games is a very encouraging sign for us.”
Amanda Henderson, who took the tough-luck loss in the opener despite tossing six innings of one run, four hit ball, bounced back in relief in the second game, replacing Cross in the pitcher’s circle with one out in the fourth inning and shutting down the Spartans, allowing just two hits the rest of the way, to earn the win and move to 8-6 on the season.
Upstate’s Hannah Alexander was dominant during the opener, allowing just one hit against the Owls in a complete game shutout. They scored their only run in the bottom of the sixth on a two-out single by Ashley Butler. She then set down the Owls in order in the first two innings of the second game before three different Spartan pitchers finished the game.
The Owls were able to capitalize on the pitching change, and were quickly able to forget about their offensive struggles during the first nine innings of play on Saturday.
“We had a really good talk as a team before we came out on this road trip, a lot of things were discussed that needed to be discussed,” Owls senior Lindsay Vollmer said. “It was important for us to be upbeat and positive throughout the weekend, and we were, and all of us know that hitting is contagious, and that certainly showed during these four games.”
Cross was 3-for-4 in the second game, complementing her two home runs with a single in the fourth inning that she would later come around to score on.
Saunders was the only other Owl to have multiple hits, going 2-for-3 in the contest. Carly Van Auken had the lone hit for the Owls in the opener, the first time this season that the Owls were one-hit.
The Black and Gold will play five straight home games this coming week, beginning on Wednesday, when they host Georgia Tech during Lexi’s Night at 6:00 p.m. All ticket profits and donations on Wednesday evening will go towards the Lexi Kaiser Foundation, which raises money for children with exceptional needs. Fans can get a ticket to the game and a pre-game meal courtesy of the Marietta Fish Market for 10 dollars, with the option to purchase just a ticket to the game as well.
Kennesaw State will then host North Florida for a doubleheader on Friday at 4:00 p.m. , their first A-Sun home games of the season, before squaring off with Jacksonville on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. for two more.
Weekend Notes:
-The Owls are now 11-3 all-time against ETSU after sweeping Friday’s doubleheader and have won their last seven contests against the Bucs. They are 5-1 against them in Johnson City.
-The Black and Gold moved to 34-7 all-time against USC Upstate after Saturday’s split, a rivalry that has dated back to the two program’s days as Division II foes in the Peach Belt Conference. Since Upstate joined the A-Sun in 2008, the Owls and Spartans are 6-6 in the head-to-head match-up, having split all five doubleheaders and having each won a game in two meetings in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament.
-One of the top offensive performers this weekend was Owls freshman
Kaylee Williams, who was 6-for-10 (.600) at the plate, while driving in four runs, tied with
Jessica Cross for the most on the squad. Williams has hit safely in 10 of the Owls last 15 games, recording multiple hits four times during that stretch.
-While it wasn’t as epic as Friday evening’s three-hour and 51-minute rain delay, the second game on Saturday was delayed in the top of the third for 49 minutes after lightning in the area forced the stoppage of play.
-Cross’ three-hit, two-home run performance on Saturday came on her 23
rd birthday.
-Owls junior
Sharon Swanson ended Saturday in second place in the Atlantic Sun Conference in both home runs (11) and RBI (27).
