The softball team played five games over the weekend, sweeping their doubleheader against Detroit Mercy on Friday, March 2, dropping both games against DePaul on Saturday and edging out Connecticut on Sunday.
The opening game against the Titans showcased a late scoring frenzy for the Owls who scored seven runs in the final two innings of a 9-1 victory. Neither team scored until the third inning when the Titans brought in their only run of the game.
After the Owls scored a run in each of the next two innings to take a 2-1 lead, shortstop Jessie Mullen highlighted the breakaway with four hits, three runs and three runs batted in.
The second game saw the Owls start right from where they left off in the previous game, scoring seven runs in the first two innings en route to an 11-5 victory.
KSU started out the game well in the first inning by scoring three runs. After getting out to a nine-run lead, the Owls gave up five runs in the fifth inning but held the Titans from that point on. Four KSU players had two hits each while Kira Czyrklis highlighted the game with six RBIs.
On Saturday, the Owls dropped their first game against the Blue Demons 6-2 and lost the second game 2-1.
In the top of the fifth inning of Saturday’s first game, Alley Cutting took the mound for KSU having already pitched a one-hit, no-run game through four innings.
What would follow was a 23-pitch inning that saw two errors, three hits, a pair of swinging bunts and four Blue Demon players crossing the plate to ruin what had been a near-perfect outing.
Morgan Greenwood reached base on the first error, courtesy of a sharp grounder that shortstop Jessie Mullen couldn’t corral. Angela Scalzitti reached base on the second swinging bunt of the inning, which also became the second error when catcher Alexa Solorzano’s throw slipped out of first baseman Patricia Awald’s reaching mitt.
The four-run cushion ended up being more than enough for Blue Demons starting pitcher Pat Moore, who gave up seven hits and just two runs. Cutting pitched the full seven innings for the Owls, surrendering six runs on eight hits.
DePaul’s Jessica Cothern and Alysia Rodriguez led the scoring for the game, each batting in a pair of runs while Olivia Tamewitz and Raleigh Williams accounted for two RBIs for the Owls. Blue Demons player Missy Zoch retired five consecutive batters in a perfect relief effort.
The Owls finished the doubleheader by losing the second game 2-1 with the only run crossing home plate on a solo home run by Awald. An unearned run given up by the Owls in the fifth inning proved to be the difference in the game as both starting pitchers put in solid performances.
An exciting finish to Sunday’s game against the Huskies put a positive cap on the weekend series, with Tamewitz delivering a walk-off home run to seal a 2-1 victory. The Owls trailed by one run until the sixth inning when Noelle Winkles hit a solo home run.
Closing pitcher Abigail Green worked the last two innings to keep KSU ahead, and the home run by Tamewitz extended her hitting streak to 10 games.
The Owls will stay home to play a doubleheader against UAB on Wednesday, March 7.
