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ATLANTA – After twice giving up a three-run lead, the Kennesaw State softball team showed toughness and tenacity as the Owls defeated Georgia Tech, 9-8, at Mewborn Field on Wednesday, April 24.
KSU improves to 31-17 on the season, while the Yellow Jackets fall to 22-27.
After a one-out double from junior
Sara Sikes (Douglasville, Ga./Georgia), senior
Sharon Swanson (Canton, Ga./Cherokee HS) put the Owls on the board quickly, blasting a two-run home run to left center in the opening inning of the game. It was her 10th homer of the season.
KSU added a run in the second on an RBI single to left center from junior
Carly Van Auken (Largo, Fla./State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota) to bring home junior
Angie Dascoli (West Melbourne, Fla./State College of Florida) from third base.
Georgia Tech then scored three unanswered runs starting in the bottom of the second on a RBI single up the middle from Karly Fullem. The Yellow Jackets then took advantage of two hits and two Owl errors in the fourth to even the game at 3-3.
The GT momentum was halted in the top of the fifth as Sikes and Swanson hit back-to-back two-out singles to keep the inning alive for sophomore
Kaylee Williams (Kennesaw, Ga./Kennesaw Mountain), who put the Owls up 6-3 with only her second home run of the season, a three-run bomb to left field.
Georgia Tech responded by taking its first lead of the night at 8-6 with five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, scoring all five runs with two outs in the frame. Catcher Courtney Ziese started off the rally with a two-run home run to left center, before Kennesaw State committed back-to-back throwing errors to allow the Yellow Jackets to score three unearned runs.
KSU proved resilient in the top of the seventh as the Owls strung together four-consecutive hits, including an RBI double to right center from Swanson and an RBI single through the left side from Williams to even the score at 8-8.
With runners at first and third, junior
Stephanie Phillips (Marietta, Ga./Sprayberry HS) fouled out to Ziese, who caught the ball in fair territory before carrying the ball into dead ball territory near the Georgia Tech dugout, enacting the “catch and carry” rule allowing both runners to advance and scoring freshman pinch runner
Kendal Robinson (Gray, Ga./Jones County HS) from third base as the go-ahead run.
After an inning-opening single in the bottom of the seventh, senior pitcher
Abbey Mixon (Canton, Ga./Cherokee HS) and the KSU defense secured three-straight outs to earn the win. Mixon (12-9) was the fifth and final Owl pitcher used in the contest, allowing only two hits in 1.1 innings to notch the win. Junior starter
Amanda Henderson (Covington, Ga./Eastside HS) went three innings, allowing five hits and only one earned run while striking out four Yellow Jackets.
The Owls registered 11 hits in the contest, but committed four errors on the night, while Georgia Tech notched 13 hits and committed one error. Swanson led the KSU attack, going 3-for-4 plus three RBI and two runs. Sikes also recorded a 3-for-4 effort and three runs, with Williams contributing two hits and four RBI in the win.
Kylie Kleinschmidt (5-6) took the loss for Georgia Tech, who got three hits and an RBI from Alysha Rudnik.
Kennesaw State returns to Bailey Park for its final two home games of 2013 season on Thursday, April 25 as the Owls host a doubleheader against UAB. First-pitch for game one against the Blazers is set for 4 p.m. (ET), with the 2012-13 Kennesaw State track and field seniors being honored prior to the game.
Thursday will also be the final home games with Head Coach Scott Whitlock at the helm of the Owls softball program and for seniors Mixon, Swanson,
Jensen Hackett (Tunnel Hill, Ga./Ringgold HS) and
Jamie Saunders (Fayetteville, Ga./Georgia Perimeter College).
Admission for the doubleheader is $3 for both adults and youth, with Kennesaw State students, faculty and staff receiving free admission with a valid KSU ID.
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.
