Softball Beats Manhattan for Third Straight Win

Sunday, February 26

Madeira Beach, Fla.

2:00 p.m.

Kent State University

7-7

Manhattan

1-4

Manhattan

Kent State

Photo by: Sue Eckl

Softball Beats Manhattan for Third Straight Win

2/26/2017 8:29:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

Box Score (pdf)

MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. – Kent State defeated Manhattan, 5-2, in the final game of the EMU Madeira Beach Spring Invitational Sunday afternoon.

The Golden Flashes (7-7) finished the tournament with three straight wins by a combined score of 19-7. On Sunday, Kent State held an 8-3 advantage in hits with eight different players contributing to the total.

The Flashes struck first with a run in the bottom of the first inning, taking advantage of an error on a ball struck by leadoff batter Maddy Grimm. Back-to-back singles by sophomore Bailey Brownfield and junior Holly Speers made it 1-0.

Manhattan took a 2-1 lead in the second inning.

Kent State went back ahead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third. Junior Vanessa Scoarste led off the inning with a single before moving to second on a sac bunt. After Speers drew a walk, senior Ronnie Ladines brought Scoarste home with a single. Sophomore Jen Cader then reached on an error, which allowed Speers to score from second.

The Flashes added two insurance runs in the fifth. Speers reached on an error, moved to second on a sac bunt and advanced to third on a single by Cader. She then scored on a sac fly by sophomore Hunter Brancifort to go ahead 4-2. Grimm added a RBI single later in the frame for the final run of the game.

Ladines (3-3) put the finishing touches on her best weekend of the season with her third complete game in as many appearances. She had two strikeouts and surrendered only three hits while not allowing an earned run for the second time in the last three starts.

Kent State will take a week off from competition and return to action at the Kentucky Invitational in Lexington, Kentucky on March 10-12. The Flashes will play five games headlined by matchups against No. 14 Michigan and host No. 22 Kentucky.