Friday, April 18
Kent, Ohio
1:00 p.m.
Kent State University
vs
University of Toledo
Maddy Grimm
Photo by: David Dermer
Flashes to Conclude Homestand vs. Toledo, BG
4/17/2014 4:12:00 PM | Softball
Kent State will look to make its move up the Mid-American Conference standings when it host four league games this weekend at the Diamond at Dix.
The Golden Flashes will host Toledo at 1 p.m. for a Friday doubleheader. Bowling Green will then come to Kent for a 2 p.m. game on Saturday with the second game of the series scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m.
Last Time Out
Playing at the Diamond at Dix for the first time of the 2014 season, Kent State split a pair of games with MAC West favorite Central Michigan. After dropping a 7-2 game on Saturday, the Flashes came back to defeat the Chippewas by a score of 6-5 on Sunday. Junior outfielder Dani Ramos' two-out triple in the bottom of the sixth inning plated freshman Maddy Grimm for the winning run. Kent State jumped out to a 5-1 lead before CMU tied it with a pair of two-run homers.
Outfielders Ariele Patterson, Kim Kirkpatrick and Ramos stepped up to the lead the Flashes' offense. The junior trio combined for 7 of the team's 10 hits and drove in 6 of the tee team's 8 runs over the two games. Kirkpatrick and Patterson both hit solo home runs. Their production was huge, as the Chippewas elected to pitch around Grimm, who is the team's top batter on the season. Grimm walked 7 times in 8 plate appearances, but took advantage of getting on base and scored 4 runs.
Junior ace Emma Johnson was terrific in Sunday's complete game victory with the exception of a few pitches. Johnson had 10 strikeouts and allowed just 5 hits, but 3 of them were home runs and accounted for all 5 CMU runs.
Offensive Leaders
Freshman Maddy Grimm leads the Flashes in nearly every offensive category, and MAC opponents are beginning to take notice. Grimm, who is hitting .315 with 5 doubles, 10 home runs and 35 RBI, has been walked 10 times in the last 4 games. She has already tied the Kent State freshman RBI record and needs just one more homer to tie that record as well.
Junior Kim Kirkpatrick leads the Flashes with 9 doubles and trails only Grimm in batting average (.294), runs (24), home runs (4) and RBI (12). Junior Dani Ramos is tied for the MAC lead with 4 triples. Junior Ariele Patterson has seen increased time in the third outfield position as of late and is hitting a team-best .353 in MAC games.
Pitching Leaders
Junior Emma Johnson (9-7) has been among the top pitchers in the MAC since arriving to campus for the 2012 season. Johnson leads the Flashes with 110 strikeouts, 8 complete games and 2 shutouts in 98.0 innings. Opponents are hitting just .215 against Johnson, who owns a 2.50 ERA.
Senior Lauren McNeil (3-2) has made the majority of her 14 appearances this out of the bullpen. The senior has two saves and a team-best 2.22 ERA in 41.0 innings of work.
Flashes on iHeart Radio
Fans can listen to two of this weekend's games on the Golden Flashes iHeart Radio channel. The first game of Friday's doubleheader against Toledo and Saturday's game against Bowling Green can be heard on the channel.
Opponents
Toledo (14-28, 5-8 MAC)
Bowling Green (18-21-1, 4-6 MAC)
Series History vs. Opponents
On Deck for the Flashes
Kent State will concludes its non-conference schedule with a doubleheader at Cleveland State on Tuesday beginning at 3 p.m.
The Golden Flashes will host Toledo at 1 p.m. for a Friday doubleheader. Bowling Green will then come to Kent for a 2 p.m. game on Saturday with the second game of the series scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m.
Last Time Out
Playing at the Diamond at Dix for the first time of the 2014 season, Kent State split a pair of games with MAC West favorite Central Michigan. After dropping a 7-2 game on Saturday, the Flashes came back to defeat the Chippewas by a score of 6-5 on Sunday. Junior outfielder Dani Ramos' two-out triple in the bottom of the sixth inning plated freshman Maddy Grimm for the winning run. Kent State jumped out to a 5-1 lead before CMU tied it with a pair of two-run homers.
Outfielders Ariele Patterson, Kim Kirkpatrick and Ramos stepped up to the lead the Flashes' offense. The junior trio combined for 7 of the team's 10 hits and drove in 6 of the tee team's 8 runs over the two games. Kirkpatrick and Patterson both hit solo home runs. Their production was huge, as the Chippewas elected to pitch around Grimm, who is the team's top batter on the season. Grimm walked 7 times in 8 plate appearances, but took advantage of getting on base and scored 4 runs.
Junior ace Emma Johnson was terrific in Sunday's complete game victory with the exception of a few pitches. Johnson had 10 strikeouts and allowed just 5 hits, but 3 of them were home runs and accounted for all 5 CMU runs.
Offensive Leaders
Freshman Maddy Grimm leads the Flashes in nearly every offensive category, and MAC opponents are beginning to take notice. Grimm, who is hitting .315 with 5 doubles, 10 home runs and 35 RBI, has been walked 10 times in the last 4 games. She has already tied the Kent State freshman RBI record and needs just one more homer to tie that record as well.
Junior Kim Kirkpatrick leads the Flashes with 9 doubles and trails only Grimm in batting average (.294), runs (24), home runs (4) and RBI (12). Junior Dani Ramos is tied for the MAC lead with 4 triples. Junior Ariele Patterson has seen increased time in the third outfield position as of late and is hitting a team-best .353 in MAC games.
Pitching Leaders
Junior Emma Johnson (9-7) has been among the top pitchers in the MAC since arriving to campus for the 2012 season. Johnson leads the Flashes with 110 strikeouts, 8 complete games and 2 shutouts in 98.0 innings. Opponents are hitting just .215 against Johnson, who owns a 2.50 ERA.
Senior Lauren McNeil (3-2) has made the majority of her 14 appearances this out of the bullpen. The senior has two saves and a team-best 2.22 ERA in 41.0 innings of work.
Flashes on iHeart Radio
Fans can listen to two of this weekend's games on the Golden Flashes iHeart Radio channel. The first game of Friday's doubleheader against Toledo and Saturday's game against Bowling Green can be heard on the channel.
Opponents
Toledo (14-28, 5-8 MAC)
- Toledo has lost six consecutive games after falling to #21 Notre Dame in a non-conference contest on Wednesday, 17-2 in five innings.
- The Rockets have been outscored 46-18 in 6 MAC games this season.
- OF Jessica Lemieux leads the MAC with 57 base hits and 21 stolen bases. Lemieux is hitting .393 and is tied for the team lead with 3 home runs.
- INF Chandler Rice is among the MAC leaders with a .407 batting average and also carries a .435 on-base percentage.
- INF Lani Ernst leads the Rockets with 12 doubles and has driven in 23 runs.
- UTL Erinn Wright has a team-best 26 RBI on the season.
- P Emily Anderson (13-15) has thrown 190.1 innings, more than any other MAC pitcher this season. Anderson's 180 strikeouts rank 20th in the country.
Bowling Green (18-21-1, 4-6 MAC)
- Bowling Green swept Detroit in a non-conference doubleheader Wednesday night, thanks in part to a walk-off grand slam by C Erika Stratoon in Game 1.
- The Falcons have one of MAC's top pitching staffs, which leads the league with a 2.51 ERA and has thrown 7 shutouts on the season.
- P Jamie Kertes (10-16) has been the Falcons' go-to pitcher. Kertes has a 2.36 ERA with 109 strikeouts, 6 complete games, 2 shutouts and 3 saves.
- P Braiden Dillow (8-5) owns a 2.70 ERA and 1 save in 106.1 innings.
- The Falcons have struggled offensively and are last in the MAC in runs per game and on-base percentage. They also rank in the bottom three in the league in batting average and slugging percentage.
- INF Katie Yoho is hitting a team-best .310 and has 22 RBI.
- Stratton's grand slam moved her into the team lead with 24 RBI.
- Yoho, Stratton and INF Chelsea Raker have each hit 6 home runs to share the team lead.
Series History vs. Opponents
- Toledo: 51-36
- Kent State has won 7 straight at the Diamond at Dix.
- Toledo's last win in Kent came back in 2005.
- Bowling Green: 58-44-1
On Deck for the Flashes
Kent State will concludes its non-conference schedule with a doubleheader at Cleveland State on Tuesday beginning at 3 p.m.
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