Kent State University
Akron
Flashes, Zips Set for Important MAC Series
4/20/2017 3:54:00 PM | Softball
Kent State will take on Akron in a three-game series at Lee R. Jackson Field. The rivals will take the diamond at 3 p.m. on Friday and then return for a twinbill on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Both teams enter the weekend a part of a five-team cluster at the top of the Mid-American Conference East Division standings. Akron is tied with Ohio for third with an 8-7 record and just one game behind co-leaders Bowling Green and Miami (9-7). Kent State is right behind them at 7-9.
Live stats and video will be available online for the entire series, and Jacob Pavilack will have the call for the first two games of the series on Golden Flashes iHeart Radio.
Weekend Schedule
Friday, April 21
3 p.m. at Akron – Live Stats Video Audio
Saturday, April 22
1 p.m. at Akron – Live Stats Video Audio
3 p.m. at Akron – Live Stats Video
Crystal Clinic Wagon Wheel Challenge
The Wagon Wheel Challenge returns for the 2016-17 athletic year with Crystal Clinic Orthopaedic Center as the title sponsor.
The Crystal Clinic Wagon Wheel Challenge is based on a time-honored competition for an historic wooden wagon wheel trophy awarded originally in 1945 to the winner of the annual Akron-Kent State football game.
Prior to the 2011-12 academic year, the rivalry was broadened to include 15 NCAA varsity sports, with victories in each sport adding one point to the challenge standings. The school that accumulates the most total points in all varsity matchups for each academic year is presented with an overall series trophy.
After a hiatus in 2015-16, the challenge returns with a new title sponsor includes just 14 sports due to the discontinuation of the Akron Baseball program.
Akron leads this year's standings, 5.5-3.5, with points in softball and women's golf on the line this weekend.
Kent State has won the challenge every year (9-6, 8-7, 8.5-6.5, 8-7) looks to complete another comeback with its strong spring sports programs. The Golden Flashes own a 14-6 advantage all-time in the spring and has won the point for softball three consecutive years.
Last Time Out
Despite being in the lead or tied through five innings in each game, Kent State lost a competitive series to Miami last weekend at the Diamond at Dix. The RedHawks exploded for eight runs in the sixth to win Game 1, 12-4, and got a two-out double in the seventh for a 3-2 win in Game 2. The Golden Flashes hit three solo home runs to win the final game on Saturday, 3-2.
Miami outscored Kent State 17-9 overall with a 10-1 advantage in the sixth and seventh innings. The RedHawks also led in hits (21-13), extra-base hits (9-6) and walks (13-7).
Junior Holly Speers batted .444 to lead Kent State at the plate with four hits, three home runs and a 1.556 slugging percentage. Speers hit the Flashes' only double of the series and drove in four runs. She recorded her fifth career multi-home run game on Saturday with a leadoff dinger in the first and a leadoff blast in the sixth, which proved to be the winning run.
Senior Ronnie Ladines also collected a hit in each game and had a team-high five RBIs. Ladines homered in each of the final two games of the series and has hit four long balls in the past 10 games.
Sophomore Bailey Brownfield added three hits and senior Maddy Grimm moved into fourth on the MAC's all-time walks list (114) with four free passes.
Freshman Madi Huck (1-4) threw her first career complete in Game 2 and came within an out of earning her first victory in conference play. Huck had six strikeouts and allowed two earned runs while walking three and allowing six hits.
Scouting Akron (20-23, 8-7 MAC)
• Akron split a doubleheader with Dayton on Wednesday, falling 7-3 in the first game and then earning a 4-2 victory in a rain-shortened five-inning contest.
• The Zips took two of three fro Ohio last weekend to move into a third-place tie with the Bobcats in the MAC East.
• Akron are 5-7 at Lee R. Jackson Field, where they are batting .268 and averaging 2.67 runs compared to 4.06 runs in games away from Akron.
• The Zips are one of the best teams in the nation at swiping bags, as they rank fifth with 105 stolen bases and 2.44 steals per game. They have also been caught stealing 38 times, which is 12 more than any other team.
• Akron leads the MAC with 54 sac bunts and has four players among the top-100 nationally in sac bunts per game.
• The Zips have a .272 batting average and scores 3.68 runs per game, which rank seventh and ninth, respectively, in the conference.
• Akron has seven batters with more than 25 hits.
• OF Ashley Sims leads way with a .395 batting average, 49 hits, 29 runs, 15 walks and .460 on-base percentage. The speedster ranks eighth nationally with 35 stolen bases and is batting .432 in conference games.
• OF Savannah Fruin is the Zips' top power threat, ranking second in the MAC with 36 RBIs and a .646 slugging percentage to go with a team-high 10 home runs. Fruin is second on the team with a .333 batting average, eight doubles and 12 walks.
• P Lexie Handley (16-13) is the Zips' ace in the circle, and ranks 14th nationally in shutouts (7) and 25th in strikeouts (156). Handley leads the conference in innings pitched (176.1) and is tied for the lead in victories (16) while ranking in the top-5 in ERA (2.30), opponent batting average (.201) and complete games (16). The left-handed freshman has also shown control problems and leads the MAC in hit batters (18) and wild pitches (19) while ranking second in walks (61). She has thrown one no-hitter and three one-hitters.
Series History
• Kent State is 72-45-1 all-time vs. Akron.
• Last season, the Golden Flashes took three of four from the Zips. Akron earned a 3-0 victory to open the final weekend of the regular season, but Kent State bounced back to win the next two games, 8-3 and 6-3.
• For the second year in a row, the Flashes beat the Zips in a MAC Tournament elimination game. After needing extra innings in 2015, KSU took care of business to win 13-6.
• Kent State's offense was led by its 2-5 batters, who combined for 17 hits, 17 runs scored, two doubles, four home runs, 11 RBIs and nine walks.
• Emily Dobbin led the Flashes with a .364 batting average and .533 on-base percentage, as she collected four hits and drew four walks while scoring five runs.
• Maddy Grimm had team-highs with five hits, six runs scored, two home runs and four RBIs.
• Janel Hayes went 1-0 and did not allow an earned run over 6.2 innings in the circle, while Ronnie Ladines went 2-1 with a 2.37 ERA and 16 strikeouts over 20.2 innings.
• Akron was led by Anna Tarpley, who batted 5-for-8 with two runs scored and two walks.
On Deck for the Flashes
Kent State will visit Youngstown State for a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday.
