Kent State University
Ohio
Flashes to Host Bobcats in Weekend Softball Series
4/1/2021 1:26:00 PM | Softball
Kent State returns to the Diamond at Dix this weekend four a four-game Mid-American Conference softball series against Ohio.
First pitch of the series opener is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Friday. The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m. The series will conclude with a 12 p.m. contest on Sunday.
Follow the Action
The entire series will be streamed on BoxCast, with individual games links available on Kent State's schedule page. Game updates will also be posted on the @KentStSoftball Twitter account.
Last Time Out
Kent State won three of four games against Northern Illinois during its first road conference series of the season. Six players had at least five hits in the series, as the Golden Flashes posted a .386 team batting average and scored 38 runs on 49 hits.
Senior Alexis Taube continued to swing a hot bat, going 8-of-14 with nine RBIs and recording a weekend cycle. Senior Brenna Brownfield and redshirt senior Olivia Sborlini both hit .500 for the series and combined for seven RBIs. Junior Megan Turner added seven RBIs.
Freshman Jessica LeBeau earned two more victories, including a shutout in the series opener. LeBeau had 14 strikeouts and a 2.56 ERA in 13.2 innings. Sophomore Gabbie Sherman earned her second win of the season in Friday's nightcap.
About the Flashes
Kent State's challenging non-conference schedule that ranked as the 17th-toughest in the country prepared it for a 6-2 start to the MAC schedule. The Golden Flashes rank second in the conference with 5.38 runs per game and their .300 team batting average ranks fourth. The bats have exploded during the first two MAC series against Toledo and Northern Illinois, as Kent State is batting .408 and slugged 13 homers while averaging 9.75 runs per game.
The outfield trio of senior Alexis Taube, junior Brooklyn Whitt and Kennadie Goth are the Flashes' top hitters on the season. Taube ranks in the top-five in the MAC in batting average (.469), home runs (4), RBIs (19), on-base percentage (.491) and slugging percentage (.776) and is hitting .630 against conference pitching. Whitt has established herself as the starter in center field ranks in the top-five in the MAC in hits (25), batting average (.431) and on-base percentage (.507). She leads Kent State with 16 runs scored and five stolen bases. Goth is hitting .365 out of the leadoff spot in the lineup and has a team-high four sacrifice bunts.
Freshman Jessica LeBeau (6-6) has been the Flashes' top pitcher with seven complete games, including three shutouts. LeBeau ranks second in the MAC in strikeouts per seven innings (9.24) and innings pitched (66.2) and is fourth in total strikeouts (88) and wins (6).
Scouting Ohio
The Bobcats (9-8, 5-3 MAC) split its series with Western Michigan last weekend after taking three of four games from Northern Illinois during the first conference series. Ohio boasts a .303 team batting average and scores 4.47 runs per game. It has been an uncharacteristically difficult season for the Bobcat's pitching staff, which has not recorded a shutout and owns a 5.06 earned run average while allowing opponents to hit .319 against them.
Allie Englant leads offense with a .410 batting average and 13 runs scored. The speedy outfielder ranks second in the conference with 12 stolen bases. Annalia Paoli is hitting .396 and has a team-high five doubles. All-MAC shortstop Katie Yun is hitting 11-of-23 during MAC games to raise her batting average to .385 on the season. Florida Gulf Coast transfer Mikenzie Vaughn leads Ohio with four home runs, 19 RBIs and a .673 slugging percentage to go with a .367 batting average. Mackensie Kohl (5-2) has a 5.05 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 51.1 innings, while Madi McCrady (3-3) has a 5.46 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 42.1 innings.
Series History
Kent State is 71-52 all-time against Ohio. The Golden Flashes won the season series, 2-1, despite being outscored 11-5. The Bobcats have won three of the last four games played at the Diamond at Dix with a combined score of 37-13.
On Deck for the Flashes
Kent State will hit the road next week for a four-game MAC series at Ball State.
