Kent State University
41-12
Akron
25-26
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kent State | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 3 |
| Akron | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
Golden Flashes Eliminate Zips with Extra Inning Victory at MAC Tournament
5/8/2015 4:48:00 PM | Softball
Box Score (pdf)Â Â Â Â Photo Gallery
AKRON, Ohio – Stellar pitching from Emma Johnson and timely hitting at the top of Kent State's lineup gave the Golden Flashes a 3-2 win in eight innings over Akron in a 2015 Mid-American Conference Softball Championship elimination game Friday afternoon at Firestone Stadium. The victory not only extends the Flashes' season, but also gives Kent State a 7.0-5.0 lead in this year's PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge. The point had previously been shared after the teams split a doubleheader during the regular season.
Johnson, who improved to 23-6, held the Zips to just two unearned runs on three hits while striking out 14 batters without allowing a walk.
Kent State (41-12) came through with its best offensive performance of the tournament, totaling nine hits. Eight of those hits came from the first five batters in the lineup with Dani Ramos, Maddy Grimm and Holly Speers collecting two hits apiece.
The Flashes never trailed and got on the board first in the top of the third inning. Erika Warren singled to right-center and pinch runner Emily Dobbin moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt. After a fly ball to left field for the second out, Kent State loaded the bases with an infield single by Ramos and a four-pitch walk to Grimm. Speers followed with a hard bouncer that the Akron third baseman was unable to handle for an RBI single.
A single and two-base error on a ball hit to the outfield by Akron's leadoff batter in the bottom of the fifth proved to be costly. After getting a strikeout, the next batter delivered a bloop single over the shortstop's head to tie the game.
Grimm provided a quick response with a blast to left field to leadoff the top of the sixth, as she added to her single-season record with home run No. 19. Speers followed with a double to the gap in left-center, but a potential rally was stifled when a pinch runner was thrown out on the way to third base on a ball hit back to the pitcher.
With victory just three outs away, Kent State's defense made back-to-back errors that placed runners on the corners with no outs in the bottom of the seventh. After a strikeout, the Zips tagged up to tie the game on a foul fly out on the third base side.
Once again, Grimm helped the Flashes respond immediately with a leadoff single back up the middle to start the top of the eighth. A sacrifice bunt moved Grimm to second base before coming in to score the winning run on a single by Michele Duffy.
Top-seeded Kent State returns to action against No. 6 Western Michigan in an elimination game at 6 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Johnson, Emma (23-6)
L: SEILER (23-18)
Batting:
2B: Speers, Holly 1
HR: Grimm, Maddy 1
RBI: Grimm, Maddy 1 ; Speers, Holly 1 ; Duffy, Michele 1
SH: Speers, Holly 1 ; Kesterson, Lauren 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Grimm, Maddy 2 ; Dobbin, Emily 1
Batting:
RBI: GAMBONE 2
SH: ALLMON 1
SF: GAMBONE 1
Base Running:
RUNS: SCHLOSSER 1 ; ALLMON 1
