Kent State University
Miami
First Place Flashes Battle RedHawks this Weekend
4/11/2019 4:07:00 PM | Softball
Kent State (17-18, 7-2 MAC) will host Miami (21-13, 6-3 MAC) at the Diamond at Dix for a showdown of the conference's two top teams. The series begins Friday, April 12 at 3 p.m. and conclude with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 13 beginning at 1 p.m. All three games will air on Golden Flashes TV and the first two games can be heard on Golden Flashes iHeart Radio.
Last Time Out
The Golden Flashes went on the road on Wednesday and defeated Ohio 1-0 to take the series. Pitcher Andrea Scali threw a complete game shutout and struck out five while walking two.
The Golden Flashes scored the game's only run in the sixth inning. Kennadie Goth led off the frame with a walk and Bailey Brownfield followed with a base hit to left. Brenna Brownfield lifted a fly ball to right that was caught and a good throw to third kept Goth from advancing on a tag, but Ohio third baseman Alex Day tried to throw to first and catch pinch runner Brooklyn Whittleaning off the bag. She threw it to the wall however and Goth scored from second and that was all Kent State would need.
In the bottom of the seventh with two outs and runners on first and second a bloop base hit dropped in front of right fielder Jen Cader who came up and threw a laser to the plate as Ohio's Deanna Cole was gunned down at home for the final out of the game.
Kent State moved to 7-3 in the rubber match of a MAC series since the current scheduling format was implemented in 2016.
Hot Start to MAC Play
Kent State currently leads the Mid-American Conference with a 7-2 record and has won seven of its last eight games overall. It's the Flashes best start to MAC play since 2015 when Kent State also went 7-2.
Brownfield Moving Up the Record Books
With her week at the plate, Bailey Brownfield has cemented herself in the top-10 in program history in three major offensive categories. She is now sixth in career-hits (184). She is fifth in career doubles (39) and her 104 career RBIs is seventh in school history.
About Kent State
Senior Bailey Brownfield leads the squad with a .343 batting average, 34 hits, 12 doubles and 19 RBIs. Senior Hunter Brancifort has driven in 14 runs so far and leads the team with four home runs and 17 runs scored.
Redshirt freshman pitcher Andrea Scali has shined this season. She has held the opposition to a batting average of .207 and is sixth in the country in strikeouts per seven innings (10.4). The Parma, Ohio native is fifth in the NCAA among freshmen in strikeouts (156). She has already claimed four MAC Pitcher of the Week Awards and was honored with the USA Softball National Collegiate Co-Player of the Week for her pair of victories over #21 Baylor. She threw the first freshman no-hitter at Kent State since 2009 this year against Youngstown State.
#FlashFacts
- Kent State was picked to finish second in the Mid-American Conference and received a vote to win the MAC Tournament in the preseason coaches' poll.
- Brancifort has been hit by a pitch 33 times in a career which is the most in school history.
- In conference play Brenna Brownfield is 12-for-24 with eight extra base hits and nine RBIs.
- Fourth-year head coach Eric Oakley became the fastest Kent State head coach to earn their 100th victory at KSU, as Oakley accomplished the feat in 173 games with a 7-1 season-opening win over LIU Brooklyn. During his three complete seasons as the skipper, the Golden Flashes have finished each season with a .540 or better winning percentage and have won nine postseason games.
- Kent State has outscored the opposition in MAC games 17-4 from the sixth inning on.
- Prior to the start of conference play, Kent State played the sixth toughest schedule in the nation.
- Kent State is ranked 74th in the most recent NCAA RPI report which is the best in the MAC.
- The Golden Flashes are tied for first in the MAC with a .966 fielding percentage.
- This season, Kent State returned All-MAC First Team selection Bailey Brownfield as well as All-MAC Second Team members Maria Cegledy, Kennadie Goth, Madi Huck and Brenna Brownfield.
Series History
The RedHawks lead the all-time series against the Golden Flashes, 58-53. Miami has Kent State's number the last few seasons and have taken every series since 2016.
Scouting Miami
Miami is in second place in the MAC standings and defeated Bowling Green at home 2-0 to sweep the season series. Ashton Slone leads Miami with a .387 batting average and has driven in a team-best 26 runs. The RedHawks are led by Courtney Vierstra inside the circle who has a 2.36 ERA and is top-10 in the nation in strikeouts per seven innings (10.5). She played with both Bailey and Brenna Brownfield at Lakewood High School. Brenna Brownfield and Vierstra won back-to-back state championships in their junior and senior years of high school.
Up Next
Kent State will step out of conference action and travel to Pitt for a game on Tuesday, April 16 at 5 p.m. The following day, the Golden Flashes will host Robert Morris in a doubleheader at the Diamond at Dix beginning at 2 p.m.
Follow the Flashes
Be sure to follow the Flashes on Twitter and Instagram for news and in-game updates about the squad.
