By: By Libby Knight
BOX SCORE (XML) | BOX SCORE (PDF) KENNESAW, Ga. – Behind a dominant performance from junior starting pitcher
Paige Mathews, the Kennesaw State softball team closed out its 2014 regular season with a 4-1 win over East Tennessee State on a sunny Sunday afternoon (April 27) at Bailey Park.
The Owls' win, combined with a Florida Gulf Coast loss to Mercer on Sunday, clinches the No. 5 seed for KSU in the 2014 Atlantic Sun Conference Championship, held on May 7-10 at Draper Diamond on the campus of Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn.
KSU finishes the 2014 regular season at 24-27 and 13-12 in the conference standings, while ETSU falls to 20-29 and 7-15 in the A-Sun.
The Buccaneers opened the scoring in Sunday's rubber match with an RBI single to center field to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the second.
Just a half inning later, the Owls evened the contest at 1-1 with three-straight hits capped off by an RBI single up the middle from sophomore
Missy Perkowski to score sophomore
Kara Chambers from second base.
KSU broke the 1-1 tie in the third as senior
Sara Sikes led off the inning with a triple down the right field line and was brought home on an infield single to first base from junior
Natalie Rhodes. The Owls then plated a second run in the inning on a sacrifice fly from sophomore
Megan Veringa to score Rhodes.
The Owls added a run in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI ground out from Chambers to score Denton from third base. That would be all Mathews needed as she shut down ETSU to send KSU to the 4-1 win.
Mathews (5-14) allowed only one earned run on two hits and struck out four in a complete game effort.
The Owls notched seven hits in the win, with sophomore
Courtney Sutter leading the way with a 2-of-3 performance, while Chambers and Rhodes each added a hit, a run and an RBI on the day.
Taylor Carter (13-9) took the loss for the Bucs, who committed three errors in the contest.
Kennesaw State next looks to the 2014 A-Sun Conference Championships on May 7-10 in Nashville, Tenn.
To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State softball news follow the team on Twitter
@KSUOwlNation and @
KSUOwlsSB or by liking Kennesaw State University on
Facebook.
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