ALABAMA STATE BOX SCORE (XML) | BOX SCORE (PDF)
FIU BOX SCORE (XML) | BOX SCORE (PDF)
STATESBORO, Ga. – The Kennesaw State softball team opened the Eagle Classic with a pair of wins as the Owls tallied a 4-2 win over Alabama State, before posting a 5-2 come-from-behind victory over Florida International on Friday (Mar. 1) at Eagle Field on the campus of Georgia Southern.
Against Alabama State, KSU took an early 1-0 lead as freshman
Kara Chambers (Kennesaw, Ga./Allatoona HS) scored on a wild pitch from ASU pitcher Melissa Christmann.
The Hornets tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the fifth on a pair of hits, before the Owls responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Freshman
Caitlin Fowler (Flowery Branch, Ga./Flowery Branch HS) smacked a double to left field to score juniors
Carly Van Auken (Largo, Fla./State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota) and
Angie Dascoli (West Melbourne, Fla./State College of Florida).
KSU added an insurance run in the sixth frame when junior
Sara Sikes (Douglasville, Ga./Georgia) posted her second triple of the season down the right field line. Sikes scored a batter later on a fielding error by ASU third baseman Stephanie Hernandez.
Alabama State moved to within 4-2 in the top of the seventh, but senior pitcher
Abbey Mixon (Canton, Ga./Cherokee HS) would hold strong for the win.
KSU outhit ASU, 9-6, with the Hornets committing four errors to the Owls’ two. Fowler led Kennesaw State with a 2-for-3 performance and two RBI, while Sikes and Dascoli each registered two hits.
Mixon (5-1) recorded a career-high tying 13 strikeouts in a complete game effort. She also struck out 13 batters on April 12, 2011 against Stetson.
Christmann (0-3) took the loss for Alabama State.
In game two, Kennesaw State fell into an early 2-0 deficit as FIU tallied a run in both the second and third innings.
The KSU bats woke up in the bottom of the fourth frame as the Owls collected four runs on five hits and an FIU error to move ahead, 4-2. After back-to-back singles from Chambers and senior
Sharon Swanson (Canton, Ga./Cherokee HS), junior
Bianca Durant (Douglasville, Ga./Chapel Hill HS) singled to left field to move Chambers to third. A throwing error by FIU leftfielder Nico Rascon enabled Chambers to score the first run of the inning.
Freshman
Missy Perkowski (Woodstock, Ga./Sequoyah HS) and Fowler tallied back-to-back hits to bring home pinch runner freshman
Kendal Robinson (Gray, Ga./Jones County HS) and Durant. After Van Auken was walked to load the bases, FIU brought in pitcher Shelby Graves, who then walked senior
Jensen Hackett (Tunnell Hil, Ga./Ringgold HS) to score Perkowski.
Swanson then blasted a home run to left field an inning later to give the Owls a 5-2 lead and additional breathing room.. It was Swanson’s second home run of the season.
KSU outhit Florida International, 7-6, as Swanson led the Owls' offensive attack with two hits and a pair of RBI.
Junior
Amanda Henderson (Covington, Ga./Eastside HS) stayed perfect on the season as she upped her record to 7-0. She recorded six strikeouts in a complete-game effort. Mari Dawson (1-4) was saddled with the loss for FIU.
The Owls continue the Eagle Classic on Saturday (Mar. 2) with an 11:30 a.m. (ET) game against South Carolina, followed by a 3:30 p.m. contest versus the tournament-host Georgia Southern.
Keep up with Owls softball this year by following KSU on Twitter at @
KSUOwlsSoftball and @
KSUOwlNation or by liking Kennesaw State Owls on
Facebook.
Kennesaw State is celebrating 30 years of intercollegiate athletics during the 2012-13 academic year.
