Kent State falls to Ohio, 5-4, after five-plus hour rain delay
5/10/2013 12:00:00 AM | Softball
AKRON, Ohio – The No. 2 seed Kent State softball team lost a 5-4 decision to No. 6 seed Ohio in an elimination game at the 2013 Mid-American Conference Tournament at Firestone Stadium in Akron, Ohio. It took more than nine hours for the game to be completed thanks to a five-plus hour rain delay that cleared the field before the sixth inning was about to begin.
Kent State bows out of the tournament 27-21-1 overall and will have to wait to see if it receives an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. Ohio is 28-28 and will face No. 1 seed Ball State (36-16) in an elimination game at the MAC tournament tomorrow (May 11).
Kent State sophomore right-hander Emma Johnson (Groveport, Ohio) was outstanding despite the loss to fall to 20-12. Johnson allowed just three earned runs on four hits with a career-high 14 strikeouts in six innings.
Ohio scored a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the first to claim a 2-0 lead, but Kent State answered in the top of the fourth.
Junior second baseman Abbey Ledford (West Liberty, Ohio) led off with a single before freshman third baseman Michele Duffy (Phillipsburg, N.J.) drew a one-out walk. Freshman catcher Erika Warren flew out to left field, but Ledford advanced to third to put runners at the corners.
It didn't stay that way for long as freshman shortstop Lauren Kesterson (Everett, Wash.) lined a two-out, two-run triple to left center to tie the game, 2-2. Junior Jessacca Gironda (Akron, Ohio) then singled to center to score Kesterson for a 3-2 advantage. Gironda stole second and scored on an RBI single to right by sophomore left fielder Dani Ramos (South Euclid, Ohio) to put the Flashes ahead, 4-2.
The Bobcats were able to plate three runs in the bottom of the fifth to reclaim the lead, 5-4, before the game was halted by the lengthy rain delay.
This was the third meeting of the season between Kent State and Ohio. The two teams split a doubleheader on March 29 with Kent State winning, 2-1, before losing, 8-0.
