GAME ONE
Final Score: Kennesaw State: 3, Lipscomb: 1
Location: Kennesaw, Ga. (Bailey Park)
Records: Kennesaw State: 14-29 (6-10 ASUN), Lipscomb: 17-25 (5-11 ASUN)
THE SHORT STORY
Senior
Emily Yakubowski finished with a game-high six strikeouts to reach the 200-career strikeout plateau, but it was not enough as Kennesaw State scored two first-inning runs and another run in the bottom of the third inning to clinch the win in the opening game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Owls broke through first in the opening game by scoring two runs on three hits in the bottom of the first inning to take the early lead.
Lipscomb responded in the top of the third inning as
Presley Leebrick doubled to right center and moved to third on a groundout. Leebrick later scored on a error by the Owls, who were trying to catch
Elise Shewmaker stealing second base.
Kennesaw State scored a final insurance run in the bottom of the third inning to push the lead back to 3-1.
Yakubowski tallied her fifth strikeout, of six total strikeouts in the game, in the bottom of the fifth inning to notch her 200th career strikeout.
The Owls held the Bisons scoreless in the final two at-bats to clinch the conference win.
Yakubowski was credited with the loss in the circle, allowing three earned runs on nine hits in 6.0 innings of work.
Kennesaw State's Kenley Hilleary did not allow an earned run on three hits in 7.0 innings of work.
Leebrick paced the Bisons in the early game, going 2 for 3 from the plate with a double, while
Kaylyn Belfield also tallied a double in the loss.
GAME TWO
Final Score: Kennesaw State: 6, Lipscomb: 5
Location: Kennesaw, Ga. (Bailey Park)
Records: Kennesaw State: 15-29 (7-10 ASUN), Lipscomb: 17-26 (5-12 ASUN)
THE SHORT STORY
After Lipscomb and Kennesaw State traded runs in through the first six innings of the contest to even the score at 3-3 going into the bottom of the seventh, the Owls scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh to clinch the conference win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Lipscomb sprinted out of the gates in the day's second game as Belfield led off with a single to left field and advanced to second on an Owls' error. Belfield later scored on a double down the left field line by Leebrick.
Kamrie Rich followed up the double by Leebrick with a double to right field to score Leebrick from second.
Kennesaw State responded with three runs on two hits in the bottom of the first to capture the lead.
The Bisons tied the score at 3-3 in the top of the second inning as
Maci Cunconan led off with a single and later scored on a single through the left side by Belfield.
After the Owls scored two more runs to take the lead in the bottom of the fifth, the Bisons used a lead-off single by
Kyndall Crawford and a two-RBI single by Belfield to score both Crawford and
Briyana Wright to even the score at 5-5.
Kennesaw State scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh to clinch the conference win.
Brinkley Kita was credited with the loss in the circle, allowing six earned runs on six hits in 6.1 innings of work.
The Owls' Melanie Bennett allowed four earned runs on 10 hits to clinch the victory.
Belfield and Leebrick combined to go 5-8 from the plate with four RBIs to pace the Bisons, while Rich, Crawford, Cunconan,
Jack Busch, and Wright all collected hits in the loss.
UP NEXT
The Bisons will close out their weekend series against the Owls on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT.
