Kent State University
Ohio State University
Golden Flashes Back on the Road for B1G Mid-Week Matchup
5/3/2016 6:01:00 PM | Softball
The Kent State softball team (32-18) will look to jump start the final week of the regular season and make a B1G statement when it takes on Ohio State (30-14-1) in mid-week action on Wednesday. First pitch from Buckeye Field is scheduled for 4 p.m.
The Golden Flashes have now won four straight contests, while the Buckeyes dropped from the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 when the most recent poll was released on Tuesday. Ohio State had been ranked #25 before losing a weekend series at Indiana.
Follow the Flashes
Fans can listen to Golden Flashes Radio, as Jacob Pavilack brings you all of the action for both contests. Live stats will be provided by Ohio State, and the games will also be streamed on Buckeye Vision with a subscription required to watch.
Game 1 – Live Stats Video ($) Audio
Game 2 – Live Stats Video ($) Audio
Last Time Out
Kent State moved into first place in the Mid-American Conference standings heading into the final week of the season after capturing its second straight series sweep at Bowling Green. The Golden Flashes took care of the Falcons in five innings (9-0, 8-0) in each of the first two games of the series and then needed nine innings to come away with a 2-1 victory after Game 2 on Saturday was halted in the mdidle of the fourth inning and resumed on Sunday. The Flashes outscored BG 19-1 over the three games.
Junior Ronnie Ladines threw 16 shutout innings to pick up three victories over the weekend. Ladines had 16 strikeouts and only one walk in the series. After recording back-to-back shutouts on Friday and Saturday, she took the circle when play resumed on Sunday and threw six more shutout innings. Ladines has now thrown 21 consecutive scoreless innings against MAC teams.
Kent State exploded for eight runs in the opening frame of the series on Friday. Senior Arika Roush and Ladines brought in all of the runs on three home runs. Roush became the first player in Kent State history to homer twice in the same inning, starting the game with a leadoff homer and adding a three-run shot, and doubling her career total in the process. Ladines helped her own cause by hitting a grand slam in the inning.
On Saturday, junior Maddy Grimm changed the game with one swing of the bat as her three-run homer with two outs in the top of the second gave the Flashes a commanding 5-0 lead. After adding a run in the third, senior Nicki Cregan and junior Brooke Dodson delivered two-out RBIs to bring the run-rule into play.
Rainstorms in the Bowling Green area caused the umpires to stop play in the middle of the fourth inning with the score tied 1-1. Kent State was unable to take advantage of multiple scoring opportunities, having a runner thrown out at the plate to end the fifth and leaving runners on second in the third in the sixth and seventh. Ladines was sharp in the circle until sophomore Emily Dobbin was able to drive in the go-ahead run on a groundout in the ninth inning. Dobbin also brought home the Flashes' run in the third on a double and had a career-high two RBIs.
Kent State outscored BG 19-1 over the three games and had a .345 team batting average. Four Flashes—Dobbin, Grimm, Ladines and Roush—hit safely in all three games of the series.
Roush (5-for-10) led the way with a double, two home runs, four RBIs, four runs scored and three walks. Ladines (4-for-10) extended her hitting streak to a career-best 12 games and hit two doubles to go with her grand slam. Grimm (4-for-10) had a home run, three RBIs, three runs scored and two walks. Dobbin (3-for-11) had a double and three RBIs. Freshman Bailey Brownfield went 4-for-8 and had an RBI.
Scouting Ohio State (30-14-1)
• The Buckeyes spilt a doubleheader at Indiana on Friday and then then lost the rubber match on Sunday to sit in fourth place at 12-7-1 in the Big Ten.
• Ohio State is 8-1 at Buckeye Field this year. Over the past four years, the Buckeyes are 43-18 at home and have won at least 11 games at Buckeye Field in each of the last three seasons.
• The Buckeyes' offense ranks in the top 50 in the country in home runs per game (1.2; 17th), slugging percentage (.502; 30th), fielding percentage (.972; 32nd) and
• Ohio State has a .297 team batting average features four players in its everyday lineup that are hitting better than .320 on the season.
• C/OF Cammi Prantl leads the way with a .380 average and a team-high 14 doubles. Prantl is second on the team with 8 home runs, 37 RBIs and 36 runs scored.
• OF Alex Bayne is in the midst of a breakout junior campaign. After collecting just 18 hits during her first season as a Buckeye, the Marshall transfer is fifth in the country with 18 home runs. Bayne, who has a .364 batting average, also leads OSU with 46 RBIs 47 runs score, .797 slugging percentage and .468 on-base percentage.
• C/UTL Emily Clark adds a .340 batting average, 23 RBIs and a .575 slugging percentage.
• OF Taylor White rounds out the quartet by hitting .323 and has a team-high 12 stolen bases. White has 27 RBIs and shares the team lead with 3 triples.
• The Buckeyes' pitching staff has a 3.21 ERA, which ranks fourth in the Big Ten, and has thrown six shutouts.
• Junior Shelby Hursh (14-6) is the ace of the staff and ranks 53 in the country with 162 strikeouts. Hursh is holding opponents to a .199 batting average and has a 2.50 ERA. She also leads OSU in complete games (7), shutouts (4), saves (4) and innings pitched (143.0).
• Junior Lena Springer (4-3) is second on the staff in ERA (2.82), games started (11), complete games (2), saves (2) and innings pitched (57.0).
Series History vs. Ohio State
• Kent State is 10-16 all-time vs. Ohio State.
• The Golden Flashes are 7-10 all-time at Ohio State with three consecutive losses.
• Kent State last won in Columbus on April 29, 1992 and swept a doubleheader, 3-2 and 5-1.
