by David Almeda (Staff Writer)
With second place Stetson coming to town, KSU’s softball team went into Saturday’s doubleheader with a chance to prove themselves against the conference’s elite.
The Owls (22-21, 11-9 A-Sun) did just that, riding great pitching performances to shut out Stetson in both of the day’s contests, 3-0 and 4-0.
“Two big wins right there with Stetson,” head coach Wes Holly Jr. said. “It’s always a good matchup with us and them. I’m very proud of the young ladies.They put hitting and pitching in the same game, both games. That’s how you win ballgames.”
After collecting only one hit through the first two innings of game one, the Owls offense began to awaken in the third. After Courtney Sutter led off the inning with a double, Carly Van Auken singled to right to put runners on first and third with no outs. An error on Stetson’s shortstop allowed pinch runner Rachel Dennis to score the game’s first run.
In the sixth, KSU added some insurance, using an RBI single from Kara Chambers and an error on Stetson’s center fielder to take a 3-0 lead, and eventually the win.
Amanda Henderson pitched her twelfth complete game of the season, allowing five hits and striking out six.
KSU continued its strong play against the Hatters in game two. Paige Matthews had one of her best outings of the year from the circle, allowing only three hits and no runs in a complete game effort.
“She overpowered them today,” Holly said. “She was hitting her spots and hitting the pitches.”
Scoring started early for the Owls in their second contest of the day. A single from Natalie Rhodes and walks from Taylor Denton and Angie Dascoli loaded the bases. Megan Veringa took advantage of the opportunity, lining an RBI single to center field to give KSU a 2-0 lead.
Sutter continued her strong day at the plate with a home run to lead off the second inning, extending the Owls’ lead to three. In the third, KSU extended its lead to four when Missy Perkowski singled to score Dascoli from third. The four runs would be all the support Matthews needed, as the Owls handed Stetson their second shutout loss of the day, 4-0.
The Owls will now go for the series sweep over Stetson at Bailey Park on Sunday.
