Kent State University
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Western Michigan
Softball Looks to Conclude 2021 Season on Win Streak
5/13/2021 5:17:00 PM | Softball
Kent State will host Western Michigan for four games this weekend at the Diamond at Dix to bring the 2021 softball season to a close.
First pitch of the four-game Mid-American Conference series is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Friday. The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m., with the finale slated for 12 p.m. 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 (24-25, 20-15 MAC) completed the season sweep of rival Akron with 8-5 and 10-2 victories at the Diamond at Dix on Wednesday.
Olivia Sborlini slugged two home runs and totaled 11 RBIs in the doubleheader. Sborlini's three-run homer in the bottom of the fourth inning sparked a rally as the Golden Flashes came back from a 5-0 deficit. The redshirt senior added a three-run double and a grand slam in her first two trips to the plate in the nightcap.
Megan Turner matched Sborlini for the team lead with four hits. Turner also homered and had three RBIs. Brooklyn Whitt added three hits and led Kent State with three runs scored.
Gabbie Sherman threw a five-inning complete game in the second contest, recording four strikeouts without any walks. Morgan Bowers tossed scoreless fifth and sixth innings to earn the victory in the opener. Jessica LeBeau regrouped after allowing five runs on eight hits through the first four innings and retired the Zips in order in the seventh for her third save of the season.
About the Flashes
Despite having the nation's No. 15 non-conference schedule and being without 2019 Pitcher of the Year Andrea Scali since opening day and only having 2019 Player of the Year Brenna Brownfield in the lineup for the first two league series, Kent State sits third in the MAC standings and has an opportunity to finish with a winning record overall. The Golden Flashes rank fifth in the conference with a .285 team batting average and seventh in runs per game (4.31).
Senior Kennadie Goth and junior Brooklyn Whitt set the table at the top of the batting order for Kent State. Goth's team-best .385 batting average ranks seventh in the MAC and her 55 hits are tied for ninth. Whitt leads the Flashes in a .439 on-base percentage, 30 runs scored, eight doubles and eight stolen bases. Junior Megan Turner and senior Alexis Taube provide the Flashes with powerful bats. Turner is the team leader with eight home runs and 35 RBIs, while Taube has five home runs and 28 RBIs.
Freshman Jessica LeBeau (13-12) has been the Flashes' top pitcher with 16 complete games, including four shutouts. LeBeau ranks third in the MAC in strikeouts per seven innings (8.31), total strikeouts (195), innings pitched (164.1) and opponent batting average (.242) while ranking fourth in ERA (2.90), wins (13) Sophomore Gabbie Sherman (8-11) has been stellar in her past nine appearances, allowing just 18 earned runs over 56.1 innings for a 2.24 ERA. Sherman has recorded 33 strikeouts and walked 11 batters during these outings.
Scouting Western Michigan
It has been a frantic month for the Broncos (14-34, 10-24 MAC), who have played 15 games during May. Western Michigan has gone 4-11 in these games following home doubleheader splits against Toledo on Tuesday and Bowling Green on Wednesday. The Broncos average 3.85 runs per game and own a 5.59 team earned run average, which both rank ninth in the MAC.
Mackenzie Swinehart ranks in the top-5 in the MAC in batting average (.399), hits (61) and runs scored (43) while leading WMU in doubles (9) and home runs (9). Sydney Stefanick is hitting .333 and has a team-high 24 RBIs. Kaylen Glenfield is close behind with 21 RBIs and leads the Broncos with 12 doubles. Reily Galloway (6-11) has been WMU's top pitcher this season with 74 strikeouts and a 4.38 ERA over 94.1 innings.
Series History
Kent State is 55-32 all-time against Western Michigan and enters on a four-game win streak in the series. Most recently, the Golden Flashes swept a three-game series in Kalamazoo by a combined score of 15-6 during the 2019 season. Head coach Eric Oakley is 7-1 against the Broncos.
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