GAME ONE BOX SCORE (XML) | BOX SCORE (PDF)
GAME TWO BOX SCORE (XML) | BOX SCORE (PDF)
KENNESAW, Ga. – The Kennesaw State softball team posted a pair of one-run wins over Atlantic Sun Conference newcomer Northern Kentucky at Bailey Park on Saturday, March 23. The Owls opened with a 1-0 win in game one, before earning a 2-1 victory in game two.
Kennesaw State improves to 22-5 on the season and 6-2 in conference play, while NKU drops to 6-20 and 0-8 in the league.
Kennesaw State plated the only run of game one in the fifth inning. After a walk from junior
Carly Van Auken (Largo, Fla./State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota), junior
Sara Sikes (Douglasville, Ga./Georgia) continued her strong play at the plate and singled to left center. Sophomore
Natalie Rhodes (Canton, Ga./Cherokee Hs) then delivered a single to NKU pitcher Emily Schwaeble to load the bases for senior
Sharon Swanson (Canton, Ga./Cherokee HS). Swanson provided a clutch sacrifice fly to right field to bring home Van Auken.
Junior
Amanda Henderson and the Owl defense did the rest, holding the Norse scoreless while allowing only one hit in the victory. Henderson registered her 10th complete game of the season and had six strikeouts to improve her 2013 record to 13-1.
KSU had four hits and committed two errors in the contest, while NKU committed a single error. Sikes, Rhodes, Swanson and freshman
Missy Perkowski (Woodstock, Ga./Sequoyah HS) each recorded a hit in the win, with Swanson posting the lone RBI of the game.
Schwaeble (1-10) took the game one loss for the Norse, who got a hit from Mandi McQueen.
The Owls opened the scoring in game two as junior
Bianca Durant (Douglasville, Ga./Chapel Hill HS) was hit by a pitch from NKU starter Kelley Benhase with the bases loaded in the third inning. Rhodes, Swanson and junior
Angie Dascoli (West Melbourne, Fla./State College of Florida) each posted singles in the frame to set up Durant for the hit-by-pitch RBI.
NKU evened up the game at 1-1 in the fourth on a double to left center from Michelle Carson.
The Owls then scored the game-winning run in the fifth frame as Dascoli opened the inning with a single to shortstop. She was plated three batters later as freshman
Caitlin Fowler (Flowery Branch, Ga./Flowery Branch HS) reached on an error by NKU shortstop Alexis Vanhorn.
Senior
Abbey Mixon earned the win for the Owls, as she pitched her seventh complete game and had 10 strikeouts to improve her record to 8-4 this season.
KSU outhit the Norse nine to five in game two, with both teams committing an error in the 2-1 Owl victory. Rhodes posted one of her best offensive games with a 3-for-4 performance plus a run. Sikes and Dascoli each contributed a pair of hits for the Owls as well.
Benhase took the game two loss to drop to 5-9 for NKU.
Kennesaw State will wrap up its three-game series with NKU on Sunday, March 24 with a single game at Bailey Park. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. (ET).
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.
