University of North Florida
Kennesaw State
UNF softball splits a pair
2/20/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Feb. 19, 2005) - The University of North Florida and Kennesaw State split a Peach Belt Conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon at the UNF Softball Complex.
Second-ranked KSU (9-1, 1-1 PBC) took the opener 7-0, while ninth-ranked UNF (6-2, 2-2 PBC) won the nightcap 7-2. On a day that belonged to freshmen hurlers, KSU's Brittany Matthews threw six shutouts innings to earn the game one win. The second game belonged to UNF's Tori Ahern, who threw a complete-game seven hitter, giving up two earned runs and striking out three.
"Kennesaw State has a good offense, you know it will be a tough matchup with them every time," UNF head coach Sonya Wilmoth said. "For a freshman to come out and shut them down, that says a lot."
Ahern (4-1) battled through pain in her index finger, but retired six of the last seven batters she faced after allowing her only two runs of the contest in the fifth.
After taking the loss in the pitching circle in Game 1, UNF's Alisha Phillips set out to help her team from the plate in the second game. She did just that with a three-run home run in the bottom of the first. The homer to left was her team-leading fifth of the season. She finished the second game 2-for-4 after going 1-for-2 in the opener.
UNF added an unearned run in the second, then loaded the bases in the third before scoring a pair on a Katie Field single that dropped in front of Lady Owls' left fielder Jennifer Hunt.
KSU made it a 6-2 game in the fifth on an Amy Middleton RBI double. The Lady Ospreys took one of those back in the sixth when Kelli Rutenbar drove home Laura Hanstein with a two-out single.
Rutenbar finished the game 2-for-4 at the plate, while Megan Gant and Hunt each had a pair of hits for Kennesaw.
Hunt helped the bottom four of the KSU order come through with seven of the team's 14 hits in the opener. Hunt collected three of those hits, while Jennifer Nolan also had three hits to go along with two RBIs.
Nolan got the scoring started for Kennesaw in the second inning with a two-run home run to center. KSU added two more in the fourth before coming through in the fifth with a two-out rally that produced three runs.
That was more than enough for Matthews (4-0), who allowed only three hits and struck out five.
Phillips lasted 3.2 for UNF, surrendering four earned runs on six hits. Kelli Pitts and Randalyn Rogers also made appearances on the mound for the Lady Ospreys. Pitts gave up all three runs in the seventh, giving way to Rogers who worked 2.1 scoreless innings.
The Lady Ospreys are back on the road Wednesday when they travel to Saint Leo for a pair of games beginning at 3 p.m. UNF returns home on March 5 to host a doubleheader against Columbus State at 1 p.m.
