KENNESAW, Ga. – The Kennesaw State Owls softball team split the series with Iowa State on the second day of the I-75 Challenge.
GAME 1
A late RBI single by
Jade Lee gave the Owls a 4-3 win over Iowa State on Saturday at Bailey Park.
The Cyclones led off the top of the first inning with a solo homerun to right center on the third pitch of the game. The Cyclones added a second run on a groundout to increase the lead to 2-0 after one.
In the bottom of the second inning,
Taylor Cates tied the game with a two-out two-run homerun over the left field wall, her third of the season and second of the weekend.
Cates came up clutch again in the bottom of the fourth inning with an RBI double off the right-center field wall to score
Katie Greep and pick up her third RBI of the game.
The Cyclones hit a ground ball in the top of the fifth to tie the game, but
Melanie Bennett struck out the next batter to end the frame.
Cheyanne Sales led off the sixth inning with a single up the middle.
Andrea Summey pinch ran for her and scored on an RBI double that almost left the yard from Lee, giving the Owls the 4-3 lead.
The Cyclones got two baserunners in the seventh on a one-out walk and a single to center, but two consecutive flyouts put this one as a win in the books for the Owls.
Bennett went the distance for a complete seven-inning game while giving up three runs and scattering 11 hits. She walked two batters and struck out three.
GAME 2
The Owls fell 7-4 to Iowa State on Saturday evening at Bailey Park.
Lexi Solorzano and
Jade Lee got the scoring started early in the bottom of the first inning with back-to-back RBI singles.
The Cyclones answered in the top of the second with a two-run home run, tying the game at two apiece.
Iowa State (10-8) loaded the bases in the top of the third, but a nice catch was made by
Faith Alexander to end the inning and leave the score tied.
Lee came through again in the bottom of the third with her second RBI single of the day and gave the Owls (16-3) a 3-2 lead.
Iowa State was able to respond once again with a two RBI single in the top of the fourth inning to regain a 4-3 lead.
The Cyclones lead grew to 7-3 in the bottom of the fifth inning thanks to an RBI single and a two RBI double.
Kylie Vannavong hit an RBI double in the bottom of the fifth to cut the lead back down to three, but it wasn't enough as the Owls would go down quietly in the sixth and seventh innings, ending the team's short three-game winning streak.
Lindsey Kyte was handed the loss, her first of the season, after going five innings giving up seven runs off of nine hits while walking five batters and striking out two.
Kristen Davis game in for the final two innings, allowing two hits, no runs, and striking out one batter.
Notable Stats
- KSU is now 2-2 against Power Five teams this season. The Owls went 2-10 against Power Five teams in 2018 and 2019 combined.
- KSU is now 12-6 all-time in the I-75 Challenge and has clinched a winning record in the tournament for the third straight season.
Next Up
Kennesaw State wraps up the I-75 Challenge on Sunday at 11:00 AM with a game against Penn State.
