Release from Kennesaw State Athletics:
The Kennesaw State softball team put together a thrilling seven-run rally in the bottom of the sixth inning to erase a five-run deficit and earn a dramatic 9-8 come-from-behind win over Jacksonville to secure its second-straight Atlantic Sun Conference series on a sunnySunday (March 29) afternoon at Bailey Park.
“This was a crazy game, but we never stopped fighting,” said interim head coach Tory Acheson. “The seven-run rally is a testament to the character of this team. This is a special bunch of kids. Winning this series is huge. We have won a couple after the rocky start with USC Upstate and next weekend at Stetson will be another great test.”
With the win, the Owls improve to 23-12 and 4-5 in the A-Sun, while the Dolphins drop to 19-18 and 2-4 in conference action.
Junior Megan Veringa, who led KSU with four RBIs, two hits and two runs scored, gave the home team a quick 2-0 lead in the opening frame with a two-run home run to center field. It was her sixth long ball of the season.
The Owls held its two-run advantage until the third inning when JU evened up the game at 2-2 on a KSU throwing error and a double steal as the Dolphins capitalized on nine hits and two Owl miscues to score seven unanswered runs over the next four innings and build a 7-2 edge.
Trailing by five heading into the bottom of the sixth, KSU stormed back to take a 9-7 lead with a six-hit, seven-run inning. Three-straight hits from junior Kara Chambers, and sophomores Taylor Denton and Lauren Bennett gave junior Rachel Dennis bases loaded with no outs in the inning. Dennis was then walked to bring home Chambers with Denton also being plated on a wild pitch on the same play.
A RBI single through the left side from senior Natalie Rhodes and a two-run single through the right side from Veringa knotted the score at 9-9, before redshirt-sophomore Courtney Sutter blasted a two-run bomb to center field to push the Owls ahead 9-7.
The dramatics continued into the top of the seventh as the Owls loaded the bases with back-to-back errors and a base-on-balls with only one out in the inning. A throwing error cut the lead to 9-8, but senior Paige Mathews got back-to-back outs to secure the win and earn her conference-leading fourth save of the season.
KSU evened their season-high with 15 hits in the win, but also committed a season-high six errors on the day. Along with Veringa, Sutter led the Owls with a 3-of-4 effort with two RBI and one run. Rhodes was also impressive at the plate with a 3-of-3 performance plus and RBI and a run scored, while Chambers added two hits and run.
Sophomore Logan Viers (4-3) earned the win in relief of Mathews and gave up one unearned run on one hit in two-thirds of an inning of work. Mathews started the game and went three innings, before reentering in the top of the seventh with one out. Mathews allowed three runs, one earned, on four hits in three and two-thirds innings. Sophomore Morgan Sikes also made an appearance and gave up four runs, three earned, on five hits in two and two-thirds of an inning.
Victoria Brown (13-12) took the loss after giving up nine earned runs on 15 hits in five and two-thirds of an inning of action.
The Sports Inquirer 
Leave a comment