By: KSU Sports Information
Box Scores: Lipscomb Stetson
Photo Galleries: Lipscomb Stetson
A-Sun Recaps: Lipscomb Stetson
A-Sun Insider: Swanson/Rhodes Mixon
Saturday: Watch Listen Live Stats
SPARTANBURG, S.C.- The Kennesaw State Owls went into Friday with their backs against the wall and came out two wins away from a bid to an NCAA Regional, defeating the Lipscomb Lady Bisons, 9-2, before edging out the Stetson Hatters, 2-0, in the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship, to move into Saturday’s final against Florida Gulf Coast beginning at Noon.
After winning a nine-inning thriller against Jacksonville on Thursday night to stay alive, the Owls (32-23), broke a 2-2 tie in the fourth inning against Lipscomb (36-20) with seven unearned runs that came in the wake of two Lady Bison errors and three bases loaded walks, and also included a sacrifice fly by Lindsay Vollmer, an RBI double by Kaylee Williams and a two-RBI single by Jessica Cross, the 2012 A-Sun Player of the Year. The seven runs in an inning set an Atlantic Sun Conference Championship record.
All nine runs came against senior Whitney Kiihnl, who had shutout the Owls, 1-0, at Bailey Park back on Apr. 20.
Amanda Henderson tossed a complete game over the Lady Bisons, allowing just two runs on five hits while striking out three. The complete game was her 14
th of the season, the most on the Owls.
Abbey Mixon was the boss in the pitcher’s circle against the Hatters (26-22), retiring the first nine batters she faced in the contest before ultimately allowing just two hits while fanning seven in her fourth shutout of the season. The Black and Gold pulled ahead for good in the second inning, when Jensen Hackett drew a walk with two outs and then was driven in via an RBI double by Jessica Cross to make it 1-0. A Natalie Rhodes single turned into another run-scoring play when Williams, who had previously walked in the inning, scored from second thanks to an errant throw from right field, making it 2-0.
Just as in her performance against Jacksonville on Thursday night, Mixon did not allow more than one base runner on at any given time.
Cross, Swanson, Williams and Van Auken each had two hits in the first game.
The pair of wins over Lipscomb and Stetson avenged a two-game string in the 2010 A-Sun Championship in which the Owls fell, 4-3, to the Hatters before being eliminated the next day courtesy of an 8-0 to Lipscomb. The Black and Gold had also started off their A-Sun Championship this year with a, 7-2, loss to Stetson on Thursday morning.
Saturday’s championship between the No. 2-seeded Owls and No. 1-seeded Eagles will begin at 12:05 p.m. on ESPN3. If the Owls win the opener, the second and deciding game will take place immediately afterwards. One FGCU victory would give them the A-Sun Championship, as the Eagles have not yet dropped a game in the tournament. Live audio will also be available on KSU All Access, at
www.KSUOwls.com/Showcase.
The Owls and Eagles split their doubleheader on Mar. 7 in Fort Myers, Fla., with the Eagles taking the opener by a score of 2-0 before the Black and Gold came back in the second game with a, 3-1, victory. The two squads shared the A-Sun regular season title, both finishing up with 14-4 league records.
Florida Gulf Coast is making their first-ever A-Sun Championship appearance, as they just became postseason eligible in NCAA Division I after finishing their re-classification to the highest level of collegiate athletics.
If the Owls were to earn a bid to an NCAA Regional, they would become just the sixth-ever former NCAA Division II national champion to do so at the Division I level.
