Category | Sports

Owls’ perfect start topples opponents and records

Published on February 12, 2008 by Aubrey Ingalls

    The Owls kicked off the softball season on Friday by hosting the
Kennesaw State Classic at Bailey Park.  KSU played their first game of
a double-header against the Hoyas of Georgetown.  Senior Brittany
Matthews led the returning A-Sun champs to a record-setting win.

Matthews fanned 18 of 21 batters to set the KSU single-game and career strike-out records.  Coach Scott Whitlock anticipated a strong performance and was very proud of his star pitcher; but, he wasn’t at all surprised.  He said, simply, “Brittany’s very talented and she pitched well.” 

    In the fourth inning, the Hoyas had the bases loaded with no outs but failed to score as Matthews struck out three straight batters on ten pitches.  The Owls’ momentum carried over into the next inning and they sealed the game with three runs to win 4-0.  With the bases full of Owls, Kelsey Kulk slapped a single though the left side to score a run.  Next up was Amanda Malcom and she smashed a ball up the middle to bring home two more and the Hoyas had no answer.  Matthews went on to record the two-hit shutout to give the Owls their first victory.  Matthews credits her teammates for her performance, saying that “everyone helped…it took the whole team to do it.”

    Game two of the double-header pitted the Owls against the Golden Eagles of Tenn. Tech.  Jessica Cross pitched five solid innings against a very tough Eagles offense.  The only run surrendered by the Owls came during the second inning on a defensive lapse.  The Tenn. Tech hurler had silenced the Owls’ bats until Amanda Malcom jacked a solo home run in the fourth inning to tie the game.  The defensive battle raged on into the late innings when Brittany Matthews came on in relief.  She effectively shut down the Eagles to send the game into extra innings.  In the top of the eighth, the Owls’ runner on second base was moved over with a bunt and Jessica Cross slapped an infield hit to score the runner on a close play at the plate.  Matthews sat down the final three batters to win the game. And just like that, the Owls were 2-0.

    After Friday’s games, Coach Whitlock had been concerned with his team’s ability to produce runs; but the KSU bats came alive on Saturday.  Against Ole Miss, KSU racked up three runs on six hits.  Additionally, the Owls held the Rebels scoreless behind the arm of Angela Lopez, who gave up only two hits in her first win of the season.  The final game of the weekend matched the Owls with the Middle Tenn. State Blue Raiders.  Brittany Matthews again got the start and registered another 13 strike-outs while surrendering only one run on the way to her third win.  KSU ripped the Blue Raiders for seven runs on 11 hits. 

    The unbeaten Owls will next host and compete in the K-Club Classic.  They face Appalachian State and Eastern Kentucky in a double-header on Feb. 15.

    Photo courtesy of KSU Sports Information