Kent State University
Buffalo
Softball Travels to Buffalo for Final MAC Road Series
4/28/2017 12:29:00 PM | Softball
Kent State visits Buffalo this weekend for the first time since 2012. The Golden Flashes and Bulls open the series Friday at 3 p.m. with a doubleheader scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m.
Kent State (21-24, 9-9 MAC) will look to extend its season-best three-game winning streak and move closer to securing a spot in the upcoming Mid-American Conference Tournament. The Flashes have won five of their last six overall and have outscored their opponents 38-19 over that span.
Live stats and video will be available online for the entire series, and Jacob Pavilack will have the call for the first game Saturday on Golden Flashes iHeart Radio.
Weekend Schedule
Friday, April 28
3 p.m. at Buffalo – Live Stats    Video
Saturday, April 29
1 p.m. at Buffalo – Live Stats    Video    Audio              Â
3 p.m. at Buffalo – Live Stats    Video     Â
Last Time Out
Kent State took both games of a doubleheader at Youngstown State on Tuesday, 7-1 and 5-4. The Golden Flashes led the entire way in the opening game and needed a seventh-inning grand slam by senior Ronnie Ladines to come-from-behind in the nightcap.
Kent State outhits the Penguins 15-12 and held a large advantage in walks (9-1), including two in the final inning to set the table for Ladines.
In the circle, senior Janel Hayes and freshman Madi Huck both earned complete game victories while combining for eight strikeouts while allowing just one walk and three earned runs.
Junior Allie Luther batted .714 (5-for-7) to lead Kent State at the plate. Luther set a career-high with hits in all three at-bats in the opening game and three RBIs, and then added two more hits in the second game.
Freshmen Olivia Sborlini and Vanessa Vodan took advantage of starting opportunities in both games. Sborlini went 3-for-7 with a triple and two RBIs, while Vodan went 2-for-4 with a pair of walks and a team-high three runs scored.
Scouting Buffalo (8-40, 3-13 MAC)
• Buffalo has lost nine straight games with its last win coming against Western Michigan on April 9 (4-3 in nine innings).
• The Bulls have been shut out three times during their current losing streak and 13 times overall this season.
• Buffalo's pitchers have held opponents to three runs or fewer in six of the last nine games.
• The Bulls rank among the bottom-25 teams nationally in batting average (.232), runs per game (2.52), slugging percentage (.305) and fielding percentage (.933).
• Buffalo is last in the MAC with eight home runs and tied for last with 67 extra-base hits.Â
• C/INF Catrell Robertson leads way with a .316 batting average, three home runs and .490 slugging percentage. In conference games, Robertson is batting .378 with four doubles, three home runs, eight RBIs and a .667 slugging percentage.
• C Jessica Goldyn ranks second in the MAC with 17 stolen bases and leads UB in hits (36) and is tied for the team lead in RBIs (14).
• UTL Danielle Lallos and INF Jenelle Martinez both have nine doubles and Martinez is tied with Goldyn with a team-high 14 RBIs.
• P Charlotte Miller (3-7) has been among the top pitchers in the MAC this season with a 2.18 ERA and more than three times as many strikeouts (52) as walks (16) in 74 innings. Miller boasts a miniscule 1.58 ERA over 57.2 innings in conference games.
Series History
• Kent State is 27-8 all-time vs. Buffalo with a five-game winning streak in the series.
• In four visits to Nan Harvey Field, the Golden Flashes are 8-1 with eight straight wins.
• Kent State has not made the trip to Buffalo since 2012. The Flashes and Bulls combined for 40 runs and 52 hits in the two-game set, as Kent State hit a school-record seven home runs, including three in the top of the 10th, to win the opening game, 14-11.
• Last season, the Flashes outscored the Bulls 15-3.
• Holly Speers led the way with a .536 batting average (5-for-9), four RBIs, a home run and a walk-off two-run double to win the opener, 3-2.
• Maddy Grimm batted 4-for-8 with two solo home runs and scored four runs.
• Janel Hayes allowed just one run in a complete game effort.
• Ronnie Ladines threw a shutout in Game 2 and went 2-0 with a 1.17 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 12 innings.
On Deck for the Flashes
Kent State will play its 10 game of the season against a team in the RPI top-50 Wednesday night at Ohio State with a 4 p.m. scheduled first pitch.
