By Mason Wittner (Staff Writer)
Kennesaw State softball broke in both a new head coach and the 2015 campaign with a pair of blowout wins over Ohio, 7-2, and Dayton, 12-6, on the first day of the KSU Classic Friday at Bailey Park.
KSU’s offense recorded 24 hits–including six doubles, three triples, and two home runs–during the tournament’s opening day, which also marked KSU interim head coach Troy Acheson’s first game action leading the Owls.
“Obviously it’s a great start for us to get out here and get a couple of wins in the books,” Acheson said. “Most importantly to see these kids playing with so much spunk and so much joy in being out there was very exciting. All that has gone on with them, to go out there and just play ball and have fun was a very, very good start to the year.”
Acheson, who assisted on Wes Holly Jr.’s staff last season, took over as the interim head coach after Holly departed the program for undisclosed reasons in December. Acheson previously led Tennessee Tech, another team competing in the KSU Classic, from 1999-2012.
KSU senior Paige Mathews started both contests and pitched a combined five innings, allowing three runs on two hits and four walks. Logan Viers (1-0) was credited with the win in the opener after 2.1 innings of scoreless work against Ohio. In the late game, Monica Vickery finished off Dayton and earned the win, holding the Flyers hitless in two scoreless innings.
Center fielder Natalie Rhodes led the Owls (2-0) offensively, going 5-8 on the day with four doubles and two triples. Shortstop Kara Chambers also contributed 4 RBIs in the two wins.
KSU jumped to an early lead over Ohio in the season’s first inning on the strength of an RBI single from Chambers and designated hitter Hilary Kartman’s two-run home run. The Owls added three more in the third inning, and another in the fifth, on the way to a 7-2 scoreline and the season’s first victory.
Twelve KSU runs in the first two innings gave Dayton little chance to knock off the hosts in the night game, which began at 6:50 p.m. The Owls failed to score the rest of the game, but they held the Flyers well enough to win 12-6, taking a 2-0 record into the tournament’s second day.
“We’ve been talking a lot about how Feb. 6 was just a day, but we want to see how good we’re going to be May 6,” Acheson said. “The way they’ve worked, and the way they are working, I’m very excited about what the future holds.”
The Owls will return to KSU Classic action Saturday against Tennessee at 3 p.m. at Bailey Park. For more updates on the KSU Classic and more from the Sentinel, follow @Sports_Sentinel on Twitter.
