COLUMBUS, Ga. (3/13/16) – The No. 24 Kean University softball team took the final two games of the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Georgia behind the pitching of Shannon McMahon, who earned both victories for the Cougars. Kean topped Fontbonne University 9-5 in the opener and topped Methodist University 3-0 in the finale.
Game One vs. Fontbonne
The Kean offense broke out in the first inning. The Cougars scored four runs, aided by a Griffin error and a passed ball after a strikeout that allowed the runner to reach. Olivia Zengel had a leadoff single and Dana Knapp doubled off the tape at the top of the left-centerfield wall for the only RBI in the inning.
Fontbonne answered with three runs of their own in the home half of the first; the Griffins had three hits and drew a walk to make the score 4-3 after one.
With two outs in the second, Sabo walked and stole a base with two outs. Samantha Krakower continued her hot hitting with a ringing RBI double over the leftfielder's head that made the score 5-3.
The Griffins had a two-out rally of their own in the second; Sam Brown and Emily Smith had back-to-back doubles for Fontbonne to score one.
Kean scored yet again in the third; MacKenzie Valeriani led off with a walk and Zengel had a two-out RBI single to plate the run.
Fontbonne's bottom of the third marked the first frame that did not see any scoring, though the Griffins did add one in the fourth to chop the Kean lead down to 6-5.
The Cougars exploded for three runs in the sixth. The big blow came off the bat of Knapp, who went the other way for a homerun to right field, her fourth of the season. Zengel, Sabo, Valeriani and Amanda Berezny all knocked singles in the frame as Kean scored three. That finally capped the scoring for both sides.
McMahon pitched the complete game on 139 pitches to earn her second vicotry of the year. She struck out nine Griffins and walked just two. After a shaky start, she allowed just one run in the final five frames.
Game Two vs. Methodist
McMahon (pictured left) returned to the circle in game two and turned in her best performance as a Cougar to date. She struck out four Monarchs and scattered four hits in the shutout, and pitched 10-straight scoreless frames on the day.
Kean scored runs in three different innings; in the first, Zengel singled and scored on another RBI double off the bat of Knapp.
Sabo started the third inning rally with a double over the rightfielder's head. She came around to score on an error that made the score 2-0.
Knapp started the final rally with a double off the centerfield wall. She got herself in a rundown between third and home, but stayed in the pickle long enough for Valeriani to get to third. Valeriani drew a throw home on a flyball to shallow right and the ball skittered away and allowed Valeriani to scoot home and manufacture a run with her legs.
McMahon struck out three in the seventh to nail down her first shutout as a Cougar and put an exclamation point on the team's spring break trip.
Kean (5-9) will have a week off after heading north. The next game for the Cougars will be the 2016 home opener against DeSales University next Sunday at noon.
