Speers Blasts Flashes to Split to Open Mary Nutter Classic

Friday, February 17

Cathedral City, Calif.

6:00 p.m.

Kent State University

4-3

Oregon

8-0

Oregon

Kent State

Photo by: David Dermer

Speers Blasts Flashes to Split to Open Mary Nutter Classic

2/17/2017 9:45:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Game 1 Game 2

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. – Kent State proved that it can play with any team in the country Friday at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, as the Golden Flashes beat San Diego, 6-2, and battled No. 7 Oregon in a 4-3 loss. Junior Holly Speers hit a pair of home runs against the Toreros and senior Ronnie Ladines held the Ducks to a season-low four hits in the nightcap.

"We got two solid outings from our staff and scored enough runs to win both games. A couple of bounces go our way and we would be talking about a two-win day," said head coach Eric Oakley. "We need to continue to improve some of the little things and hopefully can come out with two wins tomorrow."

Speers led the way offensively for the Golden Flashes with a 4-for-7 performance and six RBIs. Senior Maddy Grimm, who had Kent State's other two RBIs, and sophomores Sydney Anderson and Bailey Brownfield collected three hits each. Despite being hitless on the day, junior Emily Dobbin drew three crucial walks during big innings for the Flashes and scored twice.

Game 1: Kent State 6, San Diego 2
Kent State continued its success in the first inning and took a 1-0 lead after Sydney Anderson opened the game with a double, moved to third on a sac bunt and came in to score on a sac fly by Maddy Grimm.

An error in the bottom of the first led to a two-run homer to put San Diego ahead, 2-1.

Emily Dobbin reached with a walk to start a rally in the third. After a double by Grimm, Holly Speers launched a three-run shot to take a 4-2 lead.

Dobbin drew another walk to start the fifth inning and Speers hit her second home run of the game two batters later to extend the lead to 6-2.

Senior Janel Hayes (3-0) shut San Diego down the rest of the way and earned the victory in her first complete game of the season. Hayes did not allow an earned run and held the Toreros to just three hits over the final six innings.

Speers finished the game with three hits and matched her career-high with five RBIs. She now has three multi-hit and three multi-RBI games this season.

Game 2: No. 7 Oregon 4, Kent State 3
Kent State outhit No. 7 Oregon, 7-4, but the unbeaten Ducks (8-0) used aggressive base running for a 4-3 come-from-behind victory.

Ronnie Ladines was terrific in the circle for the Golden Flashes and kept the Oregon hitters off balance throughout the game. Ladines was resilient despite falling behind 2-0 early and did not allow more than one hit in an inning against an offense that was batting .351 and averaging 9.3 hits and 6.1 runs per game entering the contest. She limited USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 50 "Watch List" honorees Jenna Lilley and Nikki Udria to just 1-for-7 hitting.

In the first inning, a throwing error on an attempt to steal second by an Oregon base runner allowed the Ducks to take a 1-0 lead. Ladines appeared to have struck out the side in the second, but a wild pitch on strike three allowed the inning to continue. Oregon took advantage of the extra life, stealing second and then scoring on a single.

Kent State produced timely hits with two outs in the bottom of the third and took a 3-2 lead. Sydney Anderson got the rally started with a single, and an error on the play allowed the speedster to advance all the way to third. After Emily Dobbin was walked, Maddy Grimm and Holly Speers delivered RBI singles to tie the game. Another error on a ball hit to the shortstop by Bailey Brownfield allowed Grimm to score and take the lead.

The Ducks answered with two runs in their next trip to the plate. A single, a walk, a fielder's choice and a stolen base put two runners in scoring position with one out. Udria was then able to beat out the throw on a close play at the plate to tie the game and Haley Cruse scored the winning run on a sac fly to second.

The Flashes had scoring opportunities in their next two trips to the plate but were unable to manufacture any runs. Anderson led off the fifth with a bunt single before moving to second on a sac bunt and then to third on a wild pitch. But Oregon was able to retire Grimm and Speers, who have combined for 28 RBIs through the first seven games of the season, to end the threat. Brownfield started the sixth with a single. Pinch runner Kellie Abeska went to second on a sac bunt and Allie Luther came through with a pinch-hit single up the middle, but a strong throw to the plate was able to get Abeska.

Ladines (1-1) threw a complete game with three strikeouts and issued just one walk. Only three of the runs she allowed were earned.

On Deck for the Flashes
Kent State will play back-to-back games on Saturday. The Flashes will take on Saint Mary's at 12:30 p.m. ET and then No. 22 California at 3:00 p.m. ET.