Kent State University
Ohio
Softball Seeks Series Victory Wednesday at Ohio
4/11/2017 11:01:00 PM | Softball
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The Kent State softball team heads to Athens for a series rubber match with the Mid-American Conference East Division leader Ohio. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. and Jacob Pavilack will have the call on Golden Flashes iHeart Radio.
The Golden Flashes (15-21, 5-6 MAC) look to get back to .500 at the halfway point of the conference season and avoid losing their third straight series. Ohio won the opening game of a doubleheader last Tuesday at the Diamond at Dix, 6-0, but Kent State bounced back with five home runs to take Game 2, 7-1. The Flashes are just two games behind the Bobcats in the MAC East standings.
Scouting Ohio (26-10, 7-4 MAC)
• Ohio has lost three of its last four after a 6-1 start to the conference season.
• The Bobcats beat Ball State on Sunday to avoid a series sweep. All three games between the division leaders had a 3-2 final score.
• Ohio leads the MAC in batting average (.294) and on-base percentage (.373) and ranks third in runs (177), hits (283), RBIs (162) and stolen bases (43).
• INF Alex Day is amongst the top-10 in the conference in batting average (.380), runs scored (30) and hits (46).
• DP Morgan Geno leads the Bobcats with seven home runs and 32 RBIs.
• INF Mikayla Cooper is batting .347 with five home runs and 19 RBIs while leading the team with a .450 on-base percentage.
• INF Taylor Saxton (14) and OF Deanna Cole (13) are both threats to steal bases.
• Ohio has a strong pitching staff that leads the MAC in opponent batting average (.188) and strikeouts (321) and ranks second in ERA (2.38).
• 2016 MAC Pitcher of the Year Savannah Jo Dorsey (15-5) ranks among the top-15 nationally in strikeouts (207), strikeouts per seven innings (10.6) and hits allowed per seven innings (3.73). Dorsey also leads the conference in opponent batting average (.155) and ranks third in ERA (1.64).
• P Danielle Stiene (9-4) carries a 2.59 ERA and ranks 22nd in the nation in strikeouts per seven innings pitched (9.1). Stiene has 105 strikeouts and is holding opponents to a .211 batting average.
Series History vs. Ohio
• Kent State is 63-48 all-time vs. Ohio.
• The Golden Flashes and Bobcats split a doubleheader at the Diamond at Dix last Tuesday with each team scoring seven total runs.
• Ohio won three of the four meetings between the teams last season, including both games played at the Ohio Softball Field.
On Deck for the Flashes
Kent State will host Miami at the Diamond at Dix for its first weekend series against a MAC East team. A single game is scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday with a doubleheader slated for 1 p.m. Saturday.
