KENNESAW, Ga. – An emotional Senior Day inside Bailey Park saw Kennesaw State softball (20-32, 11-13 ASUN Conference) defeat FGCU (32-24, 13-11 ASUN) 9-4 Sunday afternoon.
The 2023 senior class finished out the season on a high note, going a combined 8-for-14 at the plate with two homers, six runs scored and five RBI. Every senior that stepped up to the plate recorded a hit in the season finale.
Mary Greg Anderson recorded the second three-hit game of her career while
Taylor Cates and
Laura Bishop also added to the KSU multi-hit list Sunday.
Seniors
Lindsey Kyte and
Melanie Bennett shined in the circle combining for a seven-inning, five-hit game allowing only two earned runs.
FGCU got out to a 4-0 lead after the top of the third inning,
With
Stella Henry and
Madison Miller on in the bottom of the third, Cates sent one through the right side to score Henry and cut the deficit to 4-1.
An outfield error during
Brinaya Bailey's at-bat scored Miller and added another run for KSU, 4-2.
Up next, senior
Laura Bishop launched her first career home run to plate three Owl runs and put KSU in front, 5-4.
The offensive onslaught continued with
Stacey Deputy who doubled to score Cates.
After Anderson and
Bella Galloway reached base,
Ty Hardeman stepped up and scored Deputy.
In the next at-bat, Henry extended her reached-base streak to 18 games with a single to send Anderson home. The three-run inning put KSU up 8-4.
In the bottom of the sixth and in her final at-bat as an Owl, Cates launched a no-doubter to left-center to put the finishing touches on a 9-4 victory for Kennesaw State.
The homer was her team-high seventh of 2023 and the 48th of her KSU career. She finishes second in the KSU DI career list for home runs.
Bennett (10-12) earned the victory in the circle.
The win extended KSU's streak as the only NCAA Division I softball program in the state of Georgia with 20 wins in every season with over 30 seasons of history.
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.
