Friday, February 21
Boca Raton, Fla.
9:00 a.m.
Kent State University
vs
University of Pittsburgh
Photo by: David Dermer
Softball to Face Pair of Top 10 Teams at Florida Atlantic Invitational
2/19/2014 6:42:00 PM | Softball
The Kent State softball team (4-1) will compete against some of the nation's elite teams when it returns to the diamond this weekend (Feb. 21-23) at the Florida Atlantic Invitational. Of their five games this weekend in Boca Raton, Fla., the Golden Flashes will play a total of three against No. 5/7 Michigan and No. 6/5 Kentucky.
The weekend begins with a 9 a.m. game Friday morning against Pittsburgh, followed by the first of two matchups with Michigan. The Flashes will play both nationally-ranked teams on Saturday, beginning with the Wildcats at 9 a.m. and then the Wolverines at 1 p.m. A Sunday rematch with Pittsburgh at 1 p.m. will conclude the weekend.
Last Time Out
The Golden Flashes opened with four consecutive wins before dropping its finale game to host Long Beach State at the George Washington (6-2) and Santa Clara (4-2) on Friday, the Flashes followed with victories over George Washington (6-4) and Long Beach (3-2) on Saturday. It appeared as if the Flashes were headed for an unbeaten opening weekend after taking a 6-1 lead over the Long Beach on Sunday. However, the 49ers rallied for six runs in the fifth to take the lead and added two more in the sixth to spoil a perfect trip.
Head coach Karen Linder was pleased with the way her team hit the ball on opening weekend. The Flashes averaged 5.2 runs per game and hit .268 as a team. They showed good discipline at the plate and drew 29 walks and had a .411 on-base percentage, which ranks second in the Mid-American Conference. After hitting a total of six triples in 2013, the Flashes recorded four of them in their first five games.
On the mound, freshmen Janel Hayes and Ronnie Ladines both earned victories in their first collegiate start. Junior ace Emma Johnson was victorious in both of her starts but was the losing pitcher in a relief appearance in the weekend finale. Senior Lauren McNeil went 2-for-2 in save opportunities.
Early-Season Leaders
Senior Kim Kirkpatrick and sophomores Shelbi Tilton and Lauren Kesterson were terrific at the plate for Kent State, combining to hit .488 with 8 extra-base hits and 9 RBI.
Tilton was 7-for-13 and leads the MAC with a .5398 batting average. She drove in 4 runs and cranked her first career home run in the finale against Long Beach State. Tilton also drew 7 walks and had a .700 on-base percentage, which leads the conference in both categories.
Kirkpatrick hit .500, scored 6 runs and had 3 doubles to rank in the top 3 in the MAC in each category. Kesterson had just 5 hits, but drew 6 walks for a .611 on-base percentage, which ranks third in the conference. Both led the Flashes with 2 stolen bases.
Freshman Maddy Grimm shook off an 0-for-7 performance at the plate in a big way. Grimm hit just .235 for the weekend, but had 8 RBI, which is one off the MAC lead. She also had a triple and delivered a three-run homer in the finale against Long Beach State.
Emma Johnson (2-1) threw 15.0 innings in three appearances, including two complete games. Johnson leads the Flashes in strikeouts (9) and opponent batting average (.176). Freshmen Janel Hayes allowed just one earned run in 5.1 innings for a 1.31 ERA, while senior Lauren McNeil allowed one earned run in 4.2 innings for a 1.50 ERA.
Opponents
Pittsburgh (5-5)
• The Panthers dropped to .500 on the season after going 2-3 at USF Tournament last weekend.
• After scoring just 3 runs in their first 4 games at USF, the Panthers erupted against Binghamton for an 11-10 win in the finale.
• Two of Pittsburgh's losses are against teams that were ranked #1 (Tennessee) and #2 (Oklahoma) at the time.
• Shortstop Carissa Throckmorton leads the Panthers at the plate with a .371 batting average to go with 6 extra-base hits and 5 RBI on the season.
• Second baseman Maggie Sevilla is hitting .233, but has made the most of her seven hits. Sevilla leads the team with 3 home runs and 9 RBI.
• Savannah King (3-3) and Alexa Larkin (2-2) have both won as many games as they have lost in the pitching circle. King owns a 3.67 ERA and has 29 strikeouts, while Larkin owns a 4.76 ERA.
#5/#7 Michigan (7-2)
• A preseason Top 5 team in both polls, Michigan went 51-13 and reached the Women's College World Series a season ago.
• The Wolverines went 4-1 at Ragin' Cajun Invitational last weekend, which including a split with No. 20 Louisiana-Lafayette. Michigan's other loss was against #5 Florida, 9-4 in 8 innings, to open the season.
• Shortstop Sierra Romero and starting pitcher Sara Driesenga were both named to the USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Preseason Watch List.
• Romero, an NFCA Third Team All-American and Big Ten Player of the Year during her freshman season in 2013, is showing no signs of a sophomore slump. She is batting .536 with 3 home runs, 17 RBI and an .893 slugging percentage.
• Driesenga (0-2) is still seeking her first victory of the season but has already recorded a save. In 19.0 innings in the pitcher's circle, she has 14 strikeouts and a 4.42 ERA.
• Outfielder Sierra Lawrence has homered twice and driven in 12 runs in just 15 at-bats on the season.
• Outfielder Lyndsay Doyle has hit safely in all 9 games this season. Doyle leads the Wolverines with 12 runs scored, 3 doubles and 3 stolen bases.
• Pitchers Haylie Wagner and Megan Betsa have combined for a 7-0 record, 1.20 ERA, 2 shutouts and 52 strikeouts.
#6/#5 Kentucky (10-0)
• Kentucky defeated #16 Texas twice in Austin last weekend and also owns a win over Oklahoma (preseason #2) on the opening weekend of the season.
• The Wildcats were also in Long Beach two weeks ago. They defeated Santa Clara, George Washington and Long Beach State by a combined score of 19-0. Kent State won 4 of 5 games against those same three teams.
• Catcher Griffin Joiner has hit safely in nine consecutive games and leads the Wildcats with a .556 batting average. Joiner has 6 home runs and 14 RBI on the season.
• Outfielder Emily Jolly also brings power to Kentucky's lineup with 3 home runs and an .826 slugging percentage.
• Shannon Smith (2-0) leads a talented pitching staff. Smith has not allowed an earned run and has recorded 14 strikeouts on the season.
• Kelsey Nunley (4-0) and Lauren Cumbess (2-0) have each hurled a no-hitter already this season for the Wildcats.
Series History vs. Opponents
• Pittsburgh: 13-6
• Michigan: 1-4
• Kentucky: 2-9
On Deck for the Flashes
Kent State will play four games at the James Madison Invitational next weekend Feb. 28-March 1).
The weekend begins with a 9 a.m. game Friday morning against Pittsburgh, followed by the first of two matchups with Michigan. The Flashes will play both nationally-ranked teams on Saturday, beginning with the Wildcats at 9 a.m. and then the Wolverines at 1 p.m. A Sunday rematch with Pittsburgh at 1 p.m. will conclude the weekend.
Last Time Out
The Golden Flashes opened with four consecutive wins before dropping its finale game to host Long Beach State at the George Washington (6-2) and Santa Clara (4-2) on Friday, the Flashes followed with victories over George Washington (6-4) and Long Beach (3-2) on Saturday. It appeared as if the Flashes were headed for an unbeaten opening weekend after taking a 6-1 lead over the Long Beach on Sunday. However, the 49ers rallied for six runs in the fifth to take the lead and added two more in the sixth to spoil a perfect trip.
Head coach Karen Linder was pleased with the way her team hit the ball on opening weekend. The Flashes averaged 5.2 runs per game and hit .268 as a team. They showed good discipline at the plate and drew 29 walks and had a .411 on-base percentage, which ranks second in the Mid-American Conference. After hitting a total of six triples in 2013, the Flashes recorded four of them in their first five games.
On the mound, freshmen Janel Hayes and Ronnie Ladines both earned victories in their first collegiate start. Junior ace Emma Johnson was victorious in both of her starts but was the losing pitcher in a relief appearance in the weekend finale. Senior Lauren McNeil went 2-for-2 in save opportunities.
Early-Season Leaders
Senior Kim Kirkpatrick and sophomores Shelbi Tilton and Lauren Kesterson were terrific at the plate for Kent State, combining to hit .488 with 8 extra-base hits and 9 RBI.
Tilton was 7-for-13 and leads the MAC with a .5398 batting average. She drove in 4 runs and cranked her first career home run in the finale against Long Beach State. Tilton also drew 7 walks and had a .700 on-base percentage, which leads the conference in both categories.
Kirkpatrick hit .500, scored 6 runs and had 3 doubles to rank in the top 3 in the MAC in each category. Kesterson had just 5 hits, but drew 6 walks for a .611 on-base percentage, which ranks third in the conference. Both led the Flashes with 2 stolen bases.
Freshman Maddy Grimm shook off an 0-for-7 performance at the plate in a big way. Grimm hit just .235 for the weekend, but had 8 RBI, which is one off the MAC lead. She also had a triple and delivered a three-run homer in the finale against Long Beach State.
Emma Johnson (2-1) threw 15.0 innings in three appearances, including two complete games. Johnson leads the Flashes in strikeouts (9) and opponent batting average (.176). Freshmen Janel Hayes allowed just one earned run in 5.1 innings for a 1.31 ERA, while senior Lauren McNeil allowed one earned run in 4.2 innings for a 1.50 ERA.
Opponents
Pittsburgh (5-5)
• The Panthers dropped to .500 on the season after going 2-3 at USF Tournament last weekend.
• After scoring just 3 runs in their first 4 games at USF, the Panthers erupted against Binghamton for an 11-10 win in the finale.
• Two of Pittsburgh's losses are against teams that were ranked #1 (Tennessee) and #2 (Oklahoma) at the time.
• Shortstop Carissa Throckmorton leads the Panthers at the plate with a .371 batting average to go with 6 extra-base hits and 5 RBI on the season.
• Second baseman Maggie Sevilla is hitting .233, but has made the most of her seven hits. Sevilla leads the team with 3 home runs and 9 RBI.
• Savannah King (3-3) and Alexa Larkin (2-2) have both won as many games as they have lost in the pitching circle. King owns a 3.67 ERA and has 29 strikeouts, while Larkin owns a 4.76 ERA.
#5/#7 Michigan (7-2)
• A preseason Top 5 team in both polls, Michigan went 51-13 and reached the Women's College World Series a season ago.
• The Wolverines went 4-1 at Ragin' Cajun Invitational last weekend, which including a split with No. 20 Louisiana-Lafayette. Michigan's other loss was against #5 Florida, 9-4 in 8 innings, to open the season.
• Shortstop Sierra Romero and starting pitcher Sara Driesenga were both named to the USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Preseason Watch List.
• Romero, an NFCA Third Team All-American and Big Ten Player of the Year during her freshman season in 2013, is showing no signs of a sophomore slump. She is batting .536 with 3 home runs, 17 RBI and an .893 slugging percentage.
• Driesenga (0-2) is still seeking her first victory of the season but has already recorded a save. In 19.0 innings in the pitcher's circle, she has 14 strikeouts and a 4.42 ERA.
• Outfielder Sierra Lawrence has homered twice and driven in 12 runs in just 15 at-bats on the season.
• Outfielder Lyndsay Doyle has hit safely in all 9 games this season. Doyle leads the Wolverines with 12 runs scored, 3 doubles and 3 stolen bases.
• Pitchers Haylie Wagner and Megan Betsa have combined for a 7-0 record, 1.20 ERA, 2 shutouts and 52 strikeouts.
#6/#5 Kentucky (10-0)
• Kentucky defeated #16 Texas twice in Austin last weekend and also owns a win over Oklahoma (preseason #2) on the opening weekend of the season.
• The Wildcats were also in Long Beach two weeks ago. They defeated Santa Clara, George Washington and Long Beach State by a combined score of 19-0. Kent State won 4 of 5 games against those same three teams.
• Catcher Griffin Joiner has hit safely in nine consecutive games and leads the Wildcats with a .556 batting average. Joiner has 6 home runs and 14 RBI on the season.
• Outfielder Emily Jolly also brings power to Kentucky's lineup with 3 home runs and an .826 slugging percentage.
• Shannon Smith (2-0) leads a talented pitching staff. Smith has not allowed an earned run and has recorded 14 strikeouts on the season.
• Kelsey Nunley (4-0) and Lauren Cumbess (2-0) have each hurled a no-hitter already this season for the Wildcats.
Series History vs. Opponents
• Pittsburgh: 13-6
• Michigan: 1-4
• Kentucky: 2-9
On Deck for the Flashes
Kent State will play four games at the James Madison Invitational next weekend Feb. 28-March 1).
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