Kent State University
Marshall
Golden Flashes and Thundering Herd to Battle in First Mid-Week Game
2/27/2018 1:35:00 PM | Softball
The Kent State softball team plays its first midweek game of the year on Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 3 p.m. on the road at Marshall at Dot Hicks Field in Huntington, W.Va. The Golden Flashes are coming off a 7-3 start to their season and a 3-2 weekend at the EMU Madeira Beach Tournament last weekend. A live stream will be broadcast on C-USA TV for a fee and Marshall WMUL radio will air the feed for free.
Wednesday, February 28
3:00 p.m. Marshall Live Stats Radio C-USA.tv ($)
About the Flashes
Kent State is hitting .315 as a team this season and is led by Holly Speers who is hitting .630 with three home runs, three doubles and 15 RBIs. The senior from British Columbia ranks second in the nation in on base percentage (.706), third in batting average (.630) and eighth in slugging percentage (1.074). Speers won Mid-American Conference Player of the Week for Kent State's first weekend hitting .643 with seven RBIs and led the Flashes to four wins.
Madi Huck has been sensational inside the circle while commanding the nation's 10th lowest earned run average at 0.21 in 32.2 innings pitched. She is 5-0 this season and has one save to her name. She allowed her first earned run of the season in a blowout 9-1 victory over Albany last weekend. The sophomore from Delaware, Ohio is holding opponents to a .222 batting average this season.
Flashes Rewind
- Kent State went 3-2 last weekend at the EMU Madeira Beach Tournament defeating Delaware, Nicholls and Albany while falling to Middle Tennessee and Villanova.
- Holly Speers was 8-for-13 (.615) on the weekend with two home runs, a double, eight RBIs, six runs scored and five walks. With the two bombs Speers has 34 for her career and is two away from tying Jessica Carmichael (2008-2011) and Jamie Fitzpatrick (2005-08) for second most in program history
- Allie Luther finished last weekend 4-for-11 (.364) with two bombs, three RBIs, a walk and five runs scored.
- In her first weekend of play, Kennadie Goth was 7-for-12 (.583) with two doubles and two runs scored.
- Madi Huck threw 16.2 innings allowing only one earned run and picking up two wins.
- Kent State outscored its opponents, 27-17.
Scouting Marshall
The Thundering Herd began the season 6-8 and are coming off a 2-3 weekend defeating Presbyterian and Winthrop while falling to USC Upstate and twice to Furman. Marshall had a big victory the prior weekend trouncing Missouri 8-2 and losing by just one (5-4) to #5 Tennessee.
Elicia D'Orazio leads the Herd with a .400 batting average and is 20-for-50 at the plate with a double and two RBIs with 13 steals atop the lineup. Power hitting catcher and 2017 All-Conference USA First Team member, Taylor McCord, is a threat with three homers, three doubles and nine RBIs.
West Virginia native Ali Burdette has been the leader inside the circle with a 1.87 ERA and a 2-3 record in 33.2 innings pitched. The former West Virginia Player of the Year at powerhouse Buffalo High School has struck out 24 batters this year and held opponents to a .238 batting average.
Series History
Marshall and Kent State will meet for the 40th time on Wednesday. The two last met in 2012, with the Flashes defeating the Herd, 6-4. The Herd and Flashes were familiar opponents for many years as Marshall was a member of the MAC from 1997-2005.
Up Next
Kent State will play four games in Durham, N.C. on the campus of Duke University from Friday, Mar. 2 through Sunday, Mar. 4. The Flashes will battle Lehigh, Yale, North Dakota State and host Duke. A full schedule can be found on kentstatesports.com
