GAME NOTES | LIVE STATS | TICKETS
KENNESAW, Ga. – The Kennesaw State softball team will go for the regular season series sweep against Mercer as the Owls travel to Macon, Ga., for the final game of the series on Wednesday, March 20 at Sikes Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. (ET).
Live stats will be available on KSUOwlsl.com. Fans can also follow the action by following Kennesaw State softball on Twitter, @
KSUOwlsSoftball.
Kennesaw State (20-4, 4-1 Atlantic Sun) went 2-1 to earn a series win at Lipscomb over the weekend, splitting Saturday’s action with a 6-3 win in game one, followed by a 4-3 loss in game two. The Owls rebounded to earn a 2-0 win in the series rubber match on Sunday.
Juniors
Bianca Durant (Douglasville, Ga./Chapel Hill HS) and
Sara Sikes (Douglasville, Ga./Georgia) led the Owls against the Bison. Durant posted a .571 batting average with four hits and one RBI. Her weekend was highlighted by a 3-for-4 performance in game two. Sikes registered a .545 batting average with six hits, including three doubles and four RBI.
Junior
Amanda Henderson (Covington, Ga./Eastside HS) earned both of the wins against Lipscomb, moving her season record to 12-0. Henderson’s efforts this weekend, combined with her performance against Mercer last Wednesday landed her A-Sun Pitcher of the Week accolades, her third such honor of the 2013 season and the fourth of her career.
Against the Bison, Henderson had an ERA of 1.91 in two appearances and one start. She recorded 18 strikeouts in 11 innings, including a season-high 14 in Saturday’s 6-3 win against LU. Henderson now leads the conference with an overall ERA of 1.14 and 113 strikeouts. Her 12 victories also rank in a tie for most wins in the league.
The Owls have won five-straight against the Bears, dating back to last season. KSU swept all three games in 2012 and won the first two meetings between the teams earlier this season.
Mercer (17-14, 6-2 A-Sun) is on a three-game win streak after sweeping Northern Kentucky in Highland Heights, Ky., over the weekend. The Bears also swept East Tennessee State on March 9-10 to open the conference season, before dropping two against the Owls last Wednesday, March 13 at Bailey Park.
McKenzie Woody, a Preseason A-Sun All-Conference team honoree, leads the Bears with a .427 batting average, which ranks third in the conference, and has started all 31 games for MU. She has notched a league-leading 47 hits and has plated 27 runs, while owning a 13-of-18 mark in stolen bases.
Julia Rice and Kerri Nidiffer lead Mercer in the circle, having combined to throw for 185.2 innings out of a total of 209.1 innings. Rice owns a staff-leading 2.87 ERA in 105.0 innings and is 9-5 on the season. She has thrown seven complete games and has registered 40 strikeouts. Nidiffer has posted an ERA of 3.04 in 80.2 innings of work and is 8-8 in 2013. She has 37 strikeouts to her name.
KSU returns to Bailey Park on Saturday and Sunday, March 23-24, for a three-game series against league newcomer Northern Kentucky. The Owls and the Norse are set for a doubleheader on Saturday, followed by a single game on Sunday. First pitch for both days is 1 p.m.
Keep up with Owls softball this year by following KSU on Twitter at @
KSUOwlNation and @
KSUOwlsSoftball, or by liking Kennesaw State Owls on
Facebook.
Kennesaw State is celebrating 30 years of intercollegiate athletics during the 2012-13 academic year.
