By: KSU Sports Information
Box Scores: Game 1 Game 2
Photo Gallery (Courtesy: Greg Ranallo)
End of Week Notes
KENNESAW, Ga. – The Kennesaw State Owls softball team was able to dig down on Saturday afternoon and split an Atlantic Sun Conference doubleheader with the Jacksonville Dolphins at Bailey Park. They dropped a tense, 6-5, decision, in the opener before bouncing back with a, 2-1 victory.
The Owls (22-19, 7-3 A-Sun) had their opportunities in the opener, and held a, 1-0, lead through four innings on the strength of Abbey Mixon’s solid pitching to that point in the contest. Things would go drastically wrong for the Black and Gold, however, in the fifth. The Dolphins (22-18, 4-4 A-Sun) would load up the bases with one out after an Owls error, a single, and a walk, when Kayla Ouellet would step to the plate and single down the left field line to tie things up. Jessica Cross would then take over in the circle for Mixon, and would hit a batter and allow a two-RBI single to put the visitors up, 4-1.
Sharon Swanson, who was 4-for-4 in the opener and 6-for-7 in the doubleheader overall, brought the Owls two closer in the bottom of the sixth, smashing her 12
th home run of the season down the left field line to make it a, 4-3, game. They would fall behind by three once again in the top of the seventh, however, when a pair of Owls errors and a passed ball, paired with two Dolphins hits would plate two more insurance runs.
Kennesaw State would use the long ball once again in the bottom of the seventh to stay within striking distance, as Jessica Cross would launch a, one-out offering over the netting in left centerfield to make it, 6-5. A Swanson single would put the winning run at the plate for the Owls, but reliever Sarah Sigrest would dig in and retire Bianca Durant and Lindsay Vollmer to eke out the victory.
It looked the Owls would have trouble pulling out the second game, as well, as starter Amanda Henderson allowed a first-inning run and Jacksonville starter Brittany Eppley would retire six of the first seven Owls to head into the bottom of the third up, 1-0. Just as the Dolphins did in the opener, however, the Owls used one inning to right the ship and put themselves in command for the remainder of the game. The Black and Gold would load up the bases on singles by Carly Van Auken, Jensen Hackett and Cross, before Swanson would leg out an infield single of her own to score Van Auken and tie it up at 1. Durant would step to the plate next, and would hit a chopper to the first base side that Dolphins second baseman Karson Tuck would misplay, scoring Hackett and giving the Owls a lead they would not relinquish.
Henderson ran into no problems down the stretch in game two, retiring the last 13 Dolphins she faced on her way to improving her record to 10-6 and earning her 10
th complete game of the season. She would strike out five while allowing five hits without walking anyone.
Mixon was tagged with the loss in the opener after four and a third innings of work in which she allowed four runs, three of them earned, while striking out four and walking one.
The Owls retained their lead in the win column in the A-Sun, moving to 7-3 in league play. They continue league play next Saturday, when they visit the Stetson Hatters for a doubleheader. They visit the Troy Trojans in a non-conference twin bill on Tuesday, with first pitch slated for 4:00 p.m. EDT.
