By: by Scott Lipsky
Box Score
Phyllis Rafter Memorial Tournament Page
WOODSTOCK, Ga. – The hosting Kennesaw State Owls dropped their first game of the Phyllis Rafter Memorial on Thursday, falling, 6-3, to the Ball State Cardinals. They continue the event with two games on Friday.
The Owls (7-4), kept fighting throughout the game, falling behind 6-1 but giving themselves several chances to make the contest a tight one. With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, The Black and Gold would rally, as Sharon Swanson and Lindsay Vollmer would single to set the stage for Brittany Moore, who would double down the left field line to drive in her two teammates and make it a 6-3 game.
Owls pitcher Abbey Meixel would get out of a jam in the top of the seventh, striking out the Cardinal’s (3-2) Kate Wilczynski before inducing a ground ball to third base by Lauren Schroeder to end the inning after putting two runners on with one out.
Kennesaw State would bring the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh, as Lyndsay McCurry would drop a nice bunt to the right of the pitcher’s mound, and with two outs, was joined on base by Bianca Durant, who worked out a walk against Ball State pitcher Audra Sanders, bringing Owls junior Jessica Cross to the plate. Cross would lift a fly ball to right field, but the ball park was able to hold it, as the Owls would fall short in the weekend opener.
Meixel took over in the pitcher’s circle for Amanda Henderson with nobody out in the third inning and the Owls trailing, 5-0. Meixel, a sophomore and 2010 Atlantic Sun Conference All-Freshman honoree, tossed four innings of one run ball, allowing seven hits and striking out two.
Ball State had their big inning in the top of the third, as five consecutive runners reached base with two outs on four hits and a walk.
Sharon Swanson, who leads the A-Sun in RBIs, did not drive anyone home, but went 2-for-3 in the game, the only Owl to have multiple hits. Aside from Moore’s two-RBI double in the sixth inning, Durant produced the other run, courtesy of a two-out double to center field in the third inning that scored Morgan Chapman.
The Owls take the field once again on Saturday, this time for two games, when they face Mississippi State at 3:30 p.m. and Bowling Green at 6 p.m.
