LITTLE RIVER, S.C. – Nine different players recorded a hit and seven drove in a run as the Keene State College softball team opened the 2023 season with a 15-0, five-inning win over State University of New York at Canton on Monday afternoon at the North Myrtle Beach Sports Complex, part of the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic.  It was also a milestone victory for head coach Carrah Fisk Hennessey '99, a member of the Keene State Athletics/Alumni Hall of Fame, who reached 100 for her career after taking over the program in 2015.  The Owls were on the other end of two huge innings in the nightcap, as a 2-0 edge against Susquehanna University eventually turned into a 13-2 loss.

Records

• Keene State:  1-1
• SUNY-Canton:  0-3
• Susquehanna:  4-5

How It Happened – SUNY Canton
A late start to the day thanks to overnight rain in the Myrtle Beach area did not lead to a slow start for the Owls, who tattooed the Kangaroos for 15 runs and 13 hits over the game's first two innings and quickly removed any doubt about the outcome.  Sara Cote, who hit .375 in 38 games a year ago, began her and the team's campaign with a double to center and eventually scored the season's first run on a single from Mia Ferry.  Lilah Demmy followed with an RBI double to left and, after a Lynnsey Bumpus sacrifice fly made it 3-0, consecutive singles from Amanda Cerretani, CC Chadwick, and Carissa Miller tacked on two more as KSC put up five in the first.  Ferry had an easy first in the circle, and if five runs in the first was not enough, the Owls doubled that total in the second by scoring ten times.  The first out was not recorded until the eighth batter, and the second not until the eleventh.  KSC sent 15 to the plate in the inning overall, and had that many runs through two.  Molly Murray began the cascade of runs with a bunt single to third of all things and Liv Whittier followed with another before consecutive doubles from Ferry and Demmy helped make it 8-0.  Later in the inning, Cote pulled a two-run single to left to put KSC into double-figures with their tenth and eleventh runs.  The Owls tacked on four more in the frame after that on a sacrifice fly, two wild pitches, and another bunt single.

The offensive outpouring was plenty for Ferry (1-0), who beyond her 3-for-3 effort at the plate that included two doubles, allowed just two hits in five innings while walking two and striking out three in the win.  She needed only 64 pitches and also got seven ground ball outs.

Demmy (3-4, 3 RBI, 2 R), Cote (2-4, 2 RBI, 2 R), and Cerretani (2-3, RBI, 2 R, BB) also had multi-hit performances in the lopsided victory, which was a special one for Fisk Hennessey.

"Being recognized by this team meant the world to me, and being able to share this milestone with this group is truly something special," said the Owls' head coach.
"We were excited to get outside and play.  A couple of long days (travel, weather, game day delays) that translated into 'hurry up and wait' softball…I am proud of how we attacked the ball."

Abigail Sawyer (0-2) took the loss for SUNY Canton, allowing nine runs (eight earned) and 10 hits in one-plus innings.  The Kangaroos, who went 12-22 this year and suffered their third consecutive run-rule loss, were held to just two hits – a Mackenzie Currie single and Priscilla Soule double.

The win was KSC's ninth in 11 tries at the Fastpitch Dreams Classic over the past two years.

How It Happened – Susquehanna
The Owls were moving along in the nightcap – which turned into a night game after originally being slated for 3:30 – with a 2-0 lead, but hit a wall in the third and could not recover against the River Hawks, who finished 28-9 a year ago and split a pair of games against top six teams nationally earlier this month (defeating No. 6 Belhaven University 8-6 and falling to No. 1 Christopher Newport University 15-7).  After putting up big innings in the first game, KSC was the victim of them in the second game, as Susquehanna scored nine times in the third and tacked on four more in the fourth.  The Owls gave them help, walking four in the game and making four miscues that led to five unearned runs.

Keene State took an early lead in the second when Grace Hallett singled to lead it off and, after a fielder's choice replaced her with Bumpus at first, Chadwick and Whitter came through with big two-out doubles later in the frame to each side of the field.  Still a 2-0 Owl lead in the third, Cote walked with one down and then moved to second on a passed ball, but she was left there.

The game went south in a hurry after that for KSC, who was in rapid trouble in the bottom of the third after a Stevie Shaak single, an error on a grounder to third from Hailey Kaba, and a walk to Kassidy Smith loaded the bases with nobody out.  Susquehanna did not miss their chance, either, tying the game on Emma Bean's two-run single.  She then took second in a first and third situation, and the following batter, Ashley Warner plated both for a 4-2 Susquehanna lead.  The inning continued to unravel from there, with two walks and another miscue coming next.  A third error of the inning on a play that likely should have resulted in an out at the plate on an infield grounder with the bases loaded helped make it 7-2, and an RBI single from Kaba and Smith triple were still to come as the River Hawks went from down two to up seven in one inning.

KSC had a brief chance in the top half of the fourth to gain a slight measure of momentum back as Chadwick and Whittier singled with two outs, but a strikeout ended the inning and Susquehanna put up four more in their half of the inning.  The first three reached, plating another run, before new pitcher Lilah Demmy struck out Emily Deitch.  However, Madison Apostolakos subsequently cracked a triple to right that scored two, and then she herself scored when the throw from the cutoff sailed over Hallett's head at the plate to make it 13-2.

The Owls went down in order in the fifth against Katelyn Dugery (1-1), who wound up allowing two runs on six hits in the five innings while walking one and striking out six.
Miller (0-1) took the loss for Keene State, allowing four earned runs (nine overall) and five hits in three innings.  She issued three free passes.

"Opponents' big innings were our Achilles heel last season," said Fisk Hennessey.  "It was important for us to gather at the end of game two today to identify what we need to focus on in order to prevent those innings…namely clean defense and being able to flush errors, and keeping our offensive attack and energy up."

Chadwick and Whittier combined to go 4-for-4 with a double each and drove in both Owl runs.

Around the Horn

• Fisk Hennessey's tenure, which has 240 career wins total (nine seasons at New England College from 2001-2009) includes a 2016 Little East Conference regular season championship.  She is the second Owl softball coach to eclipse the 100 career win mark; her former coach and longtime mentor Charlie Beach won 687 games from 1986 through 2014.
• KSC has played Susquehanna now three times during a spring break trip.  The Owls won 7-1 in Leesburg, Fla. in 2017 before falling 3-1 in Kissimmee two years later before tonight.  The matchup with SUNY Canton was the first.
• The Owls doubled seven times and were 21-for-50 at the plate in the two games.  Five different people (Whittier, Ferry, Chadwick, Demmy, Cote) had three hits on the day.

Up Next

• The trip continues with Keene State taking on Franciscan University (0-2) at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday (March 14) morning before a matchup with Lycoming College (2-0) later in the day at 3:00 p.m.  The Owls beat both teams a year ago in the Palmetto State.
• SUNY Canton tangles with Division II Mansfield University (Pa.) (5-1) and the University of St. Joseph (Conn.) (1-3) on the same day and at the same place with first pitches at 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., respectively.
• After a day off, Susquehanna, who had opened their South Carolina slate with a 12-9 loss to Worcester State University before winning two games today, plays State University of New York at Cortland (2-0) (9:00 a.m.) and Ithaca College (3-1) (3:00 p.m.) on Wednesday, March 15 in South Carolina.