BOX SCORE
AUBURN, Ala. – The Kennesaw State defense flexed its muscles, at one point retiring 16-straight Auburn batters to lead the Owls to a commanding 4-1 road victory Thursday night.
The Owls would take an early 1-0 lead in the first inning after
Hannah Thomason scored off an Auburn error.
Auburn tied the game with a two-out single by Justus Perry in the second inning. Freshman
Melanie Bennett came in relief for
Peyton Elzey and force a quick one pitch out to get out of the inning.
The Owls threatened in the fourth with a leadoff single by
Jade Lee, but the Tiger defense would force two groundouts to end the frame.
After another three up, three down inning for Bennett, the Owls opened up on offense in the top of the fifth after a
Brea Dickey single scored
Faith Alexander. Thomason would score again off another Tiger error, while Dickey scored herself on a sacrifice by Lee, giving the Owls a 4-1 lead.
Auburn grabbed its first hit since the second in the final frame, but a groundout to Alexander would give KSU the victory.
The win is the first Owl win over a Power Five team since defeating Georgia Tech in 2017. It is also the first win over an SEC team since defeating Kentucky in 2015.
Notable Stats
• KSU hit a leadoff single in three innings
•
Hannah Thomason scored both of her runs off of Auburn errors
•
Jade Lee and
Brea Dickey have each had an RBI in four of the first five games this season
• This is KSU's first ever win over Auburn, and first win in the state of Alabama since defeating Samford in Birmingham in 2017
• Auburn never had the leadoff runner reach base safely
• KSU had zero extra base hits in a win for the first time since a 2-0 win over Stetson on April 13, 2019
Next Up
The Owls will stay in Alabama, heading to Troy University for the Troy Tournament. KSU will play its first game tomorrow morning, Feb. 14, at 11 AM against Southeast Missouri State.
