BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Kiley Channell hit a solo home run and drove in five total runs for the Florida Atlantic University softball team, which opened the season by hosting the four-day Paradise Classic.
The Owls opened with a 5-4 win over Ole Miss on Feb. 6. Though Channell didn’t get a hit, she drove in the second run of a two-run first inning that put FAU ahead 2-0. With runners on second and third and one out, Channell hit a ball to second base, reaching on a fielder’s choice and scoring a run.
Channell went 2 for 3 and drove in all her team’s runs in a 3-2 win over Kansas on Feb. 6. With runners on first and second with two outs in the first, Channell hit a single to right-center to score both runners and give the Owls a 2-0 lead.
FAU had a runner on first with one out in the third when Channell hit an RBI triple to center, giving the Owls a 3-0 lead.
A 6-2 win over Clemson on Feb. 7 saw Channell put the first run on the board when she drove the first pitch in the bottom of the second inning over the fence in center for a home run.
The Owls defeated Georgia State 5-1 on Feb. 7. In their first game on Feb. 8, Channell scored a run in an 11-0 win over Missouri State. FAU, leading 1-0, had a runner on third with one out in the first. Channell walked, stole second and scored on a Chloe Yeatts double.
FAU’s final game of the tournament was an 8-1 win over Georgia State on Feb. 9. Channell went 1 for 3 and scored a run.
It was tied at 1-1 in the bottom of the first. The Owls had runners on first and second with one out. Channell hit a single to left to load the bases. She advanced to second on a fielder’s choice and moved to third on a bases-loaded walk. Channell eventually scored on an error in what was a four-run inning for FAU.
