Flashes to Play Five Games in Three Days at Maryland Round Robin
3/8/2012 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Coming off back-to-back victories at the Marshall invitational, Kent State State (6-9) will play five more games in a three-day span at the Maryland Round Robin Tournament, beginning Friday, March 9 in College Park, Md. The Golden Flashes will open against Princeton and will play two games against both Rhode Island and host Maryland.
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Live stats for each game can be viewed at UMTerps.com.
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Bucknell Blowout
The Golden Flashes scored 15 runs in a game for the second time in as many weekends Sunday, in a five-inning, 15-0 rout of Bucknell. Kent State also set a season-high for hits in a game against the Bison with 19, all of which came in four innings. The last time the Flashes had 19 hits in a game was in 1990, during the team's run to the College World Series. Sophomore Danielle Abernathy (Adairsville, Ga.) threw a one-hit shutout against Bucknell and struck out three. Three different players homered against the Bison, while three players doubled.
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Kent State has now scored 11 or more runs in a game at all three tournaments it's competed in this season.
More from the Marshall Invitational
Later that day, the Flashes completed a Sunday seep with a 6-4 win against host Marshall. Freshman pitcher Emma Johnson (Groveport, Ohio) struck out seven and allowed one run over her last four innings in the complete game victory. Senior Lauren Mokler (Uniontown, Ohio) went 2-for-3 with a double. On the week, Mokler hit a team best .455
One week after being named Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week, sophomore Abbey Ledford (West Liberty, Ohio) continued to swing the bat well. She went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in the win over the Thundering Herd. Ledford hit .308 in five games at Marshall with a home run and four RBI.
Senior Mary Holt (Providence, R.I.) hit .385 over five games with a double and a home run. She led all Flashes with a .692 slugging percentage.
The Flashes matched their previous weekend's total of six home runs in five games.Â
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Team Leaders
Ledford leads the team with three homers, 14 RBI and a .643 slugging percentage.Â
Johnson carries a team best ERA of 2.26. She has thrown six complete games in eight starts and has fanned 58 batters.
Senior Jess Blanton (Wheelersburg, Ohio) carries a team best .385 batting average and a .478 on-base percentage.Â
Holt and sophomore Alex Marcantonio (North Canton, Ohio) each have four doubles.
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The Opponents
Princeton – The Tigers have opened their season going 1-3, following their 1-0 loss to Canisius on Sunday. Offensively, the Tigers are led by senior outfielder Nicole Ontiveros who is hitting .385 with one double, one triple and four RBIs in four games. Senior infielder Kelsey VandeBergh leads the team with a .462 batting average with two doubles and two RBIs. Freshman pitcher Meredith Brown has posted a 1.75 ERA in eight innings pitched over two games, while striking out six and holding opponents to a .161 batting average. However, she has yet to earn a win.
Rhode Island – Rhode Island is coming off a 6-5, 10-inning victory over Hartford on Wednesday. The Rams hit back-to-back home runs in the 10th to seal the win.  Junior outfielder Kelly Coker has been an offensive leader hitting .280 with eight RBIs and two home runs. Senior Courtney Prendergast leads the team with a .464 batting average. Sophomore pitcher Sam Bedore has started the year with a 1-2 record with 20 strikeouts and a 5.12 ERA in 26 innings pitched.Â
Maryland – The host Terrapins (11-6) enter their tournament after going 1-4 in the Alabama Invitational. Senior shortstop Kathy McLaughlin has the hot bat early on with a .341 batting average with three doubles and 10 RBIs in 16 games. Sophomore Candice Beards has brought the power with two home runs, nine RBIs and a .472 slugging percentage in 16 games. Senior pitcher Kendra Knight has been strong in the circle with an 8-2 record, six complete games, a 3.75 ERA with 69 strikeouts and holding opponents to a .189 batting average. Freshman pitcher Kaitlyn Schmeiser has been a nice addition on the mound with a 2-3 record and one save in 10 appearances.
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History vs. Opponents
The Golden Flashes are 1-1 all-time against Maryland. The Flashes defeated the Terps 5-3 last February in Florida. Lauren McNeil (Akron, Ohio) earned a complete game victory. Holt, Marcantonio, Lauren Grimes (Tallmadge, Ohio) and Shannon Laughlin (Fairview Park) all had hits.
Kent State is 2-0 all-time against Rhode Island and 2-1 against Princeton, but has not faced either team since 2007.Â
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Up Next
Kent State will play five games in three days at the South Florida Invitational March 16-18 followed by a game at Central Florida on March 21. The Flashes will take on Dartmouth, Colgate, Coastal Carolina, South Florida and Providence in their final tournament of the regular season.
