Kent State University
33-27
Oregon State
28-27
Kent State Earns 2-1 Victory Over Oregon State to Stay Alive at NCAA Waco Regional
5/20/2017 7:54:00 PM | Softball
WACO, Texas – Kent State scored twice in the top of the fifth inning to defeat Oregon State, 2-1, in an elimination game Saturday afternoon at the NCAA Waco Regional.
The Golden Flashes (33-27) collected three of their six hits in the contest in the fifth frame to get on the board for the first time in NCAA postseason play. Freshman Vanessa Vodan started the frame with an infield single. Junior Vanessa Scoarste followed with a walk and junior Emily Dobbin dropped in a single to right-center that was misplayed and allowed Vodan from second base. Sophomore Hunter Brancifort then put the Flashes ahead with a single to center field.
"We finally made an adjustment at the plate and got a little more aggressive on pitches earlier in the count," said head coach Eric Oakley. "Once we got a few hits, we were more relaxed at the plate, and that is the approach we need to have going into this next game."
Senior Ronnie Ladines (20-15) earned the victory in the circle for the Flashes, striking out six and allowing just one run to the Beavers. Ladines surrendered six hits in the contest but worked out of trouble multiple times to strand seven runners.
Kent State will play James Madison in an elimination game Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. The Flashes are now 4-0 in elimination games this season.
Notes
• Kent State's senior class — Brooke Dodson, Maddy Grimm, Janel Hayes, Ronnie Ladines, Paige McCrary and Nicole Teefy — set a program record with their 136th victory.
• The Golden Flashes have won at least one game in all four of it's NCAA Tournament appearances with an all-time record of 7-7.
• Senior Maddy Grimm drew a walk in the top of the fifth inning to join an exclusive group of three NCAA Division I players with at least 50 runs score, 50 RBIs and 50 walks this season.
• Grimm has played in program record 60 games this season to break the mark set by 2016 senior Arika Roush a year ago.
• Senior Ronnie Ladines is just the fourth Kent State pitcher to earn 20 victories in multiple seasons.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Ladines, Ronnie (20-15)
L: Cotton, T. (14-10)
Batting:
RBI: Brancifort, Hunter 1
SH: Teefy, Nicole 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Vodan, Vanessa 1 ; Scoarste, Vanessa 1
Batting:
RBI: Weeks, S. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Sass, M. 1
SB: Garcia, J. 1 ; Gregoire, R. 1 ; Lopez, L. 1
