By: By Libby Knight
BOX SCORE (XML) | BOX SCORE (PDF) | PHOTO GALLERY | FGCU LIVE STATS | FGCU LIVE VIDEO NASHVILLE, Tenn. – For the fourth-straight game the matchup between Kennesaw State and rival Mercer came down to one run as the fifth-seeded Owls fell to the fourth-seeded Bears, 5-4, in game two of the 2014 Atlantic Sun Conference Championship on Wednesday (May 7) at Draper Diamond.
KSU now moves into the bottom half of the bracket and will face No. 6 seed Florida Gulf Coast in an elimination game on Thursday (May 8) at 4 p.m. ET. Fans can watch the Owls on ASun.TV and follow the team via live stats.
The Owls jumped out to an early lead as senior
Sara Sikes, junior
Natalie Rhodes and freshman
Taylor Denton led off the contest with three-straight hits to load the bases, before senior
Angie Dascoli and sophomore
Megan Veringa delivered RBI sacrifice flies for the early 2-0 advantage.
The lead would not last long as the Bears scored four unanswered runs, evening up the score on a two-run double to left field in the first, followed by an RBI groundout in the third and an RBI single to center field in the fourth for a 4-2 edge.
After a sacrifice bunt from Denton put runners at second and third, back-to-back hits from Dascoli and Veringa brought home a pair of runs to knot up the score at 4-4 in the top of the fifth frame.
A solo home run from Krista Kennedy then broke the tie in the bottom of the fifth to put Mercer up 5-4. With two outs in the top of the seventh, the Owls loaded the bases but would be unable to push across the tying run as the Bears went on for the win.
Senior pitcher
Amanda Henderson (18-10) allowed five runs on five hits and struck out eight in a complete game effort.
The Owls totaled 11 hits to outhit the Bears, with Sikes, Rhodes and Denton each posting a pair of hits in the setback. Dascoli and Veringa added two RBI in the game.
Kirsten Stevens (14-4) earned the win for the Bears, who got a 2-of-2 performance plus three RBI from Kennedy.
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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