By: Michael Pitts
Kennesaw State (15-30, 7-11 ASUN) at Samford (20-27, 9-6 SoCON)
Location: Samford Softball Stadium – Homewood, Ala.
Game Info: Wednesday, Apr. 26 at 6:00 p.m. ET
Leading Off
Kennesaw State gears up for its final midweek of the 2023 regular season against the Samford Bulldogs on Wednesday.
Freshman Stella Henry charges into the midweek on a six-game hitting streak, the longest-such streak on the squad. Her reached-base streak stands at a KSU 2023 team-high 11 games.
KSU took two of three from Lipscomb this past weekend including a doubleheader sweep on Lexi's Day Saturday. Taylor Cates delivered a walk-off double in the bottom of the seventh in game two to secure the DH sweep.
Kiera Cooper crushed the Bisons pitching between the two games, going 3-for-6 with four RBI, two doubles and a homer.
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The Owls are 3-4 in midweek contests this season. KSU defeated Samford 1-0 on Feb. 28 in Kennesaw.
First pitch is set for 6:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
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A Familiar Foe
The Owls are 11-5 all-time against the neighboring Bulldogs and are 5-3 on the road. Kennesaw State is searching for its win in Homewood since 2017.
KSU holds a one-game win streak in the series. The Owls fell to the Bulldogs in both road contests in 2022.
The Iron Woman
Cates has been a staple in the Kennesaw State lineup during her career. On Sunday, Mar. 19 at Austin Peay, Cates surpassed Owl legend Jessica Cross with her 164th consecutive game played for the most in Kennesaw State DI history. In the Owls' next contest against No. 17/16 Georgia, the Canton, Ga. native surpassed Cross again - this time for most consecutive starts in KSU DI history, also with 164.
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Circle of Gems
One of the main themes for KSU softball so far in 2023 are stellar performances by the Owl pitching staff.
Feb. 15 vs. Mercer – The Owls shutout Mercer behind 4.0 innings of two-hit ball from Lindsey Kyte. Melanie Bennett entered in relief and collected her 400th career strikeout.
Feb. 19 at Troy – Bennett struck again for the Owls against the Trojans with a three-hit complete game in the circle as the Owls won 1-0.
Feb. 24 vs. Indiana State – Freshman Kenley Hilleary made a name for herself in the Bama Bash, starting with a 10-inning complete game allowing only one earned run and five hits. She notched a then-career-high 11 strikeouts with 180 pitches thrown.
Feb. 26 at No. 7/6 Alabama – KSU's wire-to-wire upset of the Crimson Tide was led by Hilleary's four-hit complete game. She had four K's in the circle and the win marked her first collegiate victory. Hilleary won ASUN Pitcher of the Week honors.
Feb. 28 vs. Samford – Another 1-0 win for the Owls with Bennett in the circle featured a nine-inning complete game from the KSU ace. She allowed only four hits with a commanding 13 strikeouts in the shutout.
Mar. 7 at Georga Southern – Hilleary crushed it again for the Owls, pitching 5.0 innings allowing no runs with only four hits. She struck out half of the batters she faced, tallying 10 total on the evening – including two punchouts in each inning of work.
Mar. 10 vs. North Dakota – Laura Bishop led the charge in KSU's run-rule win over UND. She pitched a five-inning complete game with zero earned runs and only five hits allowed to Fighting Hawk batters to secure her first win of 2023.
Mar. 24 vs. Eastern Kentucky – Bennett earned her 50th career win with five innings of work and seven strikeouts in the Owls victory.
Mar. 25 vs. Eastern Kentucky – Hilleary dominated yet again with her fourth complete game allowing only one hit and one run in 28 batters faced as the Owls took a 2-1 win to earn the series victory over the Colonels. Five of her strikeouts came in the first four innings of the contest.
Apr. 16 at Jacksonville – Bennett ended the JU series on a high note, striking out six in a seven-inning complete game one-hitter against the Dolphins. It marked the third one-hit complete-game of her KSU career in the Owls' 6-0 victory. She set the KSU DI career record for complete games with 56.
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On Deck
The final three road games of the 2023 regular season for KSU softball begin Friday, Apr. 28 for game one against Bellarmine.
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.
