By: KSU Sports Information
Box Scores: Game 1 Game 2
TROY, Ala. – The Kennesaw State Owls split a road, non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday, topping the Troy Trojans, 1-0, in the opener, before falling, 8-0 in the second game.
The Owls (23-20) took advantage of gritty pitching by Abbey Mixon to go along with a timely hit in the early-going by Carly Van Auken to slip by Troy (24-15) in the opener. Mixon would go six and a third innings in the pitcher’s circle, allowing six and two walks while striking out four, but got the outs when it mattered most. On six occasions, the Trojans had runners in scoring position, but on all six occasions, Mixon and the Owls would find a way to keep them from scoring, stranding a total of nine Troy base runners in the opener.
While notching just four hits of their own in the opener, the Owls got ones when it counted most in the second inning. Bianca Durant, who was 3-for-3 in the contest, led things off with a base hit, with Brittany Moore walking two batters later. A Jensen Hackett bunt would lead to a force out of Durant at third, but a throwing error by Troy’s third baseman trying to get Hackett at first would advance her to second and Moore to third, setting the stage for Carly Van Auken with two outs. Van Auken would pull an Ashley Rainey 1-1 offering through the right side, scoring Moore to give the Owls all of the run support they would need.
Troy had base runners in every inning, and had runners on the corners with one out in the third inning, but Mixon would strike out Nikki Hollett before inducing a fly out to end the threat. She was replaced in the circle by Jessica Cross with one out in the seventh inning after allowing a one-out double to Michelle Hewitt, but Cross would make quick work of the Trojans, throwing a total of two pitches to set up a pair of groundouts and earn the Owls the victory in the opener.
Things didn’t go quite so smoothly in the second game for the Owls. While they entered the bottom of the fourth inning in a scoreless contest, things would quickly unravel from there. The first two batters for Troy in the bottom of the frame would reach on a single and a walk, respectively, before back-to-back Henderson fielding errors in the pitcher’s circle would result in the Trojans’ first run of the doubleheader. With the bases loaded, Sarah Harris would lace a shot down the third base that would just stay fair and would score two runs to make it a, 3-0, contest.
After a pair of hits brought home one more run for Troy in the fifth inning, they would end it in the sixth when two RBI singles made it 6-0 before a Hayden Gann double would end up in the left field corner and score two more, making it, 8-0 and ending the run-ruled contest.
Henderson pitched five inning, allowing four runs, two of them earned, on seven hits while striking out nine. Monica Vickery pitched the seventh.
The Owls managed just four hits in the second game, as well, with Natalie Rhodes, Kaylee Williams, Sharon Swanson and Durant each recording singles.
Tuesday’s split was the second straight one in Troy, as they also split a doubleheader on Mar. 22 of last season.
Cross’ appearance in the pitcher’s circle in the opener made history, as it marked the 105
th time she pitched in a game, tying her with Brittany Matthews for the most pitching appearances by an Owl in the program’s Division I era (2006-present).
Kennesaw State will stay on the road this weekend, when they visit Atlantic Sun Conference foe Stetson for a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m. Free, live audio will be available on KSU All Access.
