Kent State University
Ohio State
Kent State Visits Buckeyes for Wednesday Evening Tilt
5/3/2017 11:41:00 AM | Softball
Live Stats                   Video             AudioÂ
Kent State concludes its non-conference slate on Wednesday at Ohio State. First pitch at Buckeye Field is scheduled for 6 p.m. The game will be streamed on the BTN Plus, while Jacob Pavilack has the call on Golden Flashes iHeart Radio.
The Golden Flashes (24-24) take a season-best six-game win streak with them to Columbus. Kent State has outscored its opponents 46-7 over that span and the pitching staff has a miniscule 0.73 ERA.
Last Time Out
Kent State earned a crucial Mid-American Conference sweep on the road at Buffalo this past weekend. The Golden Flashes were dominant in their first series sweep of the season, outscoring the Bulls 22-1.
After pulling out a 1-0 win in Friday's opener in which it had just three hits, Kent State exploded for 21 runs on 19 hits on Saturday (11-1; 10-0 in five innings). The Flashes batted .349 on the weekend and blasted five home runs.
Senior Ronnie Ladines put together the two best performances of her collegiate career in the circle, striking out a career-high 15 batters in a one-hit shutout on Friday and then coming back to toss just the third perfect game in Kent State history to close out the series on Saturday. Ladines retired 36 of 37 batters that she faced and also hit a pair of home runs. Her three-run bomb that landed inside of UB Stadium broke a scoreless tie in the top of the fourth inning during her perfect game.
Freshman Madi Huck was also terrific for the Flashes, allowing just one unearned run in a complete game victory to start Saturday's action.
Junior Holly Speers, who did not play in Kent State's first three games of the week, hit two home runs and drove in four runs as part of a 4-for-5 performance in Game 1 on Saturday. Speers was then walked in all three plate appearances in Game 2 and scored six runs on the day.
Junior Emily Dobbin followed a career-high three-hit game to start Saturday by going 4-for-4 in Game 2. Dobbin hit .583 (7-for-12) in the series. Sophomores Bailey Brownfield and Jen Cader each collected four hits against the Bulls. Freshman Kellie Abeska had a team-high five RBIs.
Senior Maddy Grimm provided the lone run in Friday's game with a solo shot in the top of the sixth inning, her 16th dinger of the season. Grimm was 2-for-2 in the game and also drew a walk to add to her MAC single-season record (46).Â
Series History
• Kent State is 11-17 all-time vs. Ohio State with a five-game winning streak in the series.
• The Golden Flashes are 8-11 all-time in trips to Columbus after splitting a doubleheader last season.
On Deck for the Flashes
Kent State hosts Bowling Green this weekend to close out the regular season.
