Kent State University
Ohio University
Softball Hosts Ohio Wednesday to Conclude Season Series
4/12/2016 5:15:00 PM | Softball
Kent State (23-13, 6-4 MAC) will host Mid-American Conference East Division foe Ohio (24-13, 6-4 MAC) for a single game Wednesday afternoon at the Diamond at Dix. The final game of the three-game season series is scheduled for 2 p.m. The Bobcats won both games of a doubleheader in Athens last Tuesday.
Season Series To-Date
Ohio got timely hits and terrific pitching from Savannah Jo Dorsey to take both games of a doubleheader from Kent State last Tuesday at Ohio Softball Field, 4-1 and 4-2. Although both teams hit three home runs, the Bobcats scored seven runs on their blasts while all of the Golden Flashes' were solo shots. Ohio outhit Kent State, 13-5, had its leadoff batter reach safely in 5 of 12 innings. Meanwhile, the Flashes did not have a leadoff batter reach safely in either game and went 0-for-14 with a runner on base.
Freshman Bailey Brownfield's home run prevented Dorsey from throwing a no-hitter in Game 1.
Senior Erika Warren led the offensive output for Kent State in Game 2 with two hits, including a home run in the seventh inning. Sophomore Holly Speers also homered for the Flashes, and senior Arika Roush provided the other hit in the game with a single.
Dorsey was terrific in the pitching circle for Ohio with 23 strikeouts in two complete game victories. She held the Flashes to five hits and only walked three batters.
Taylor Saxton went 4-for-5 from the leadoff spot in the Bobcats' lineup. Morgan Geno and Casie Hutchinson provided the big hits, as each player hit a three-run homer. Geno, who had a 3-for-5 day at the plate, broke it open to give Ohio a 4-0 lead in Game 1, while Hutchinson gave the Bobcats an early 3-0 lead in the second inning of Game 2.
Record Watch
Interim head coach Eric Oakley already set a program record by winning his first seven games as head coach and is on the cusp of more history. Oakley tied Sue Lilley Nevar's 30-year-old record for most wins by a first-year coach with Friday's 3-1 victory over Eastern Michigan, his 23rd victory of the season.
Kent State Leaders
Sophomore Holly Speers leads the offense with a .350 batting average, .779 slugging percentage and .464 on-base percentage to rank third and seventh in the MAC in the latter two categories, respectively. Despite missing the second weekend of the season, she is second on the team with 22 RBIs, 22 runs scored and 16 walks.
Junior Maddy Grimm is tied for the MAC lead with 21 walks and ranks third with 30 runs scored and fourth with a .720 slugging percentage. Grimm leads the Flashes with 25 RBIs and shares the team lead with 8 doubles. Of her 29 hits, 20 have gone for extra bases.
Senior Shelbi Tilton also has 8 doubles to match Grimm and has a team-high 32 base hits. Senior Arika Roush has been hit by a pitch 17 times this season, which is fourth in the country, and leads the Flashes with two triples.
Junior Ronnie Ladines (13-4) have been outstanding in her new role as the ace of the pitching staff and has thrown 4 shutouts as part of her 15 complete games. Ladines owns a 2.93 ERA and has 113 strikeouts in 117 innings. She also has two saves. Junior Janel Hayes (9-9) has also stepped into an increased role and has a 3.11 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 99 innings.
Scouting Ohio (24-13, 6-4 MAC)
• Ohio made it four straight wins with a pair of victories over Toledo this past weekend. The Bobcats have outscored their opponents by a score of 20-5, over the past four games.
• Ohio ranks 19th in the country with 74 stolen bases.
• IF Taylor Saxton is the top base stealer in the MAC and ranks 18th in the nation with 26 swipes this season. Saxton leads the conference with 49 hits and is second with a .426 batting average.
• IF Mikayla Cooper leads Ohio with 31 RBIs, 9 home runs and a .695 slugging percentage. Cooper's .381 batting average is fifth in the MAC.
• OF Deanna Cole is third in the MAC with 18 stolen bases. Cole is batting .306 and has scored a team-high 24 runs.
• P Savannah Jo Dorsey (17-8) leads the country in strikeouts (230), and is sixth in strikeouts per seven innings (10.2), seventh in shutouts (6), and eighth in hits allowed per seven innings (3.89). Dorsey also ranks second in the MAC with a 1.77 ERA.
Series History vs. Ohio
• Kent State is 61-46 all-time vs. Ohio.
• Ohio clinched the season series by beating Kent State twice (4-1; 4-2) in Athens last week to end a three-game losing streak in the series.
• The Golden Flashes beat the Bobcats in all three meetings last season, earning 9-1 and 9-6 victories during the regular season at the Diamond at Dix. Kent State then pulled out a 3-1 win in the first round of the MAC Championship at Firestone Stadium in Akron.
On Deck for the Flashes
Kent State will be tested with its first weekend series against a MAC East schools when it takes on East Division leader Miami (22-14, 7-2 MAC) on Friday and Saturday in Oxford, Ohio.
