Championship
Game Recap
KENNESAW STATE ENDS PRESBYTERIAN'S RUN
THROUGH
THE PLAYOFFS WITH A 5-1 VICTORY
KENNESAW,
GA - Keri McKee had two doubles and drove in three
runs and Lisa Macki struck out ten as No. 1-seed
Kennesaw State defeated No. 4-seed Presbyterian 5-1 to win the
South Atlantic Regional Championship Saturday afternoon at the
Bobbie Bailey Athletic Complex.
After
Jennifer Hunt (2-for-3) and Lori Cassell, who
was 3-for-4 on the day, singled to lead off the bottom of the
third inning, McKee (2-for-4) sliced a double that landed just
inside the left field line, easily scoring Hunt and Cassell to
give the Owls a 2-0 lead.
Presbyterian
answered with a lone run in the top of the fourth inning to
cut the lead in half. Jamie Vining (1-for-4) was
credited with a double when she hit a pop up behind the bag at
first base that Owls second baseman Lori Cassell lost
in the sun. After
two fly outs, pinch hitter Whitney Hannon (1-for-1)
looped a RBI single to right field, scoring Vining from third
base.
However,
the Owls opened the game up with three runs in the bottom of
the fourth inning. Megan
Gant (2-for-3) led off with a double to left centerfield
and moved to third base on a sacrifice bunt by Janna Maughon
(0-for-2). Hunt
laid down a bunt single to put runners on first and third base
with no outs. After
Hunt stole second, Cassell ripped a single up the middle to
score both runners and make the score 5-1.
Macki
(22-1), who was named the tournament's Most Outstanding
Player, recorded her third win and third complete game of the
regional. The
senior southpaw from Lolo, Montana allowed only one run on
five hits.
Samantha
Slater (15-5) took up the loss, giving up seven hits and
four runs in 3.1 innings.
Kennesaw State will be going to the National Championship Tournament for the first time since the 2002 season and the eighth time in school history.