The Kennesaw State softball team played a pair of doubleheaders over the weekend beginning on Friday, March 1, losing to Hofstra 10-3 before beating them 2-0, and on Saturday defeating Western Carolina 7-1 and 10-2.
Coming into the weekend series on a three-game losing streak, KSU extended that run in its opening game against Hofstra. The Owls scored early on as senior Maddie Roth batted in a run with a double, but the Pride responded in the third and fourth innings.
Although junior pitcher Abby Deane has been a strong starter for KSU so far this season, Hofstra scored five runs off her and forced seven walks.
A combination of Hofstra’s hitting and errors from the Owls culminated in the large margin of victory for the Pride.
Later that evening, KSU got its revenge with a complete game shutout performance by senior pitcher Hailey Andrews. Throwing eight strikeouts and yielding just four hits the entire game, Andrews helped secure a win for the Owls.
Both of KSU’s runs came in the first inning, as redshirt junior Jade Lee hit an RBI single before freshman Katie Greep drove in a run with a single of her own.
On Saturday, Andrews continued to display her pitching skills with another dominant performance in the first game against Western Carolina, throwing another shutout with 11 strikeouts and giving up just three hits.
The game remained scoreless until the third inning, when Lee put the Owls on the board with an RBI single. Later in the inning, Greep extended KSU’s lead with a three-run home run.
KSU continued to extend its lead through base hits in the next two innings, giving up just one run along the way.
The Owls wrapped up their weekend with a victory over the Catamounts. Deane bounced back from struggles in her previous outing with an improved performance resulting in a win.
Western Carolina scored first early in the game, but the Owls scored three runs in the first inning, fueled by a two-run single from junior Olivia Gocke.
The lead would increase the next inning as Lee continued her successful weekend with a three-run home run. After Gocke drove in another run, the Owls would continue to score through a two-run home run by sophomore Joirea Dumas and an RBI double by redshirt senior Jessie Mullen.
Up next, the Owls travel to Atlanta on Wednesday, March 6, to take on Georgia State before coming back home over the weekend to host a five-game series at the Bobbie Bailey Memorial Tournament.
