Kent State University
Miami
Kent State Takes Momentum into Series at First-Place Miami
5/6/2021 4:09:00 PM | Softball
Kent State will make its final road trip of the season when it takes on Miami in a four-game Mid-American Conference series this weekend.
The Golden Flashes (22-21, 18-11 MAC) and first-place RedHawks will play doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday due to Sunday's weather forecast. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Follow the Action
Both will be streamed on RedHawks All-Access. Game updates will also be posted on the @KentStSoftball Twitter account.
Last Time Out
Kent State swept rival Akron on Wednesday afternoon, 3-1 and 1-0, to extend its win streak to six games.
Jessica LeBeau threw a complete game in the opener and earned a save in the nightcap by tossing two scoreless innings. Overall, LeBeau had 11 strikeouts over nine innings and allowed just one run on three hits. Gabbie Sherman earned the victory in the second game by throwing five scoreless innings.
Megan Turner and Kaitlyn Miller led Kent State at the plate three hits apiece. Two of Miller's hits, a double and a home run, went for extra bases and she scored twice. Kennadie Goth had a two-RBI single in the opener for her only hit of the day.
About the Flashes
Despite 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. The Golden Flashes rank fourth in the conference with a .286 team batting average and sixth in runs per game (4.30).
The outfield trio of senior Kennadie Goth, junior Brooklyn Whitt and senior Alexis Taube are the Flashes' top hitters on the season. Goth's team-best .384 batting average ranks seventh in the MAC and she is the team leader with 48 hits. Whitt is ninth in the MAC in batting average (.370) and leads Kent State with 25 runs scored, eight doubles and seven stolen bases. Taube has a career-best .336 batting average and is second on the team with five home runs and 27 RBIs and a .571 slugging percentage. Junior Megan Turner is the team leader with seven home runs and 32 RBIs.
Freshman Jessica LeBeau (13-10) has been the Flashes' top pitcher with 17 complete games, including four shutouts. LeBeau ranks third in the MAC in strikeouts per seven innings (8.74) and total strikeouts (184) while ranking fourth in ERA (2.57), wins (13) and opponent batting average (.230). Sophomore Gabbie Sherman (7-9) has been stellar in her past eight appearances, allowing just 10 earned runs over 47.1 innings for a 1.48 ERA. Sherman has recorded 29 strikeouts and walked nine batters during these outings.
Scouting Miami
The RedHawks (36-8, 26-2 MAC) holds a 4.5-game lead in the conference standings heading into the final 10 games of the season. Miami once again has one of the top pitching staffs in the conference, leading the MAC in ERA (2.54), shutouts (16) and opponent batting average (.198). The RedHawks' offense has exploded this season and leads the country in doubles (89) while ranking second in runs per game (7.93), fourth in on-base percentage (.439), fifth in slugging percentage (.609) and sixth in batting average (.340).
Allie Cummins leads the MAC in batting average (.447), on-base percentage (.625), slugging percentage (.919) and runs scored (47) while ranking second in home runs (12) and RBIs (48). Adriana Barlow leads the conference with 50 RBIs and has slugged 11 home runs. Karlee Juarez is tied for the lead with 47 runs scored. Karli Spaid ranks third in batting average (.402) and slugging percentage (.873) and has 35 RBIs. Courtney Vierstra (21-3) has thrown a MAC-best 10 shutouts and is second in the conference in ERA (1.92) and strikeouts (252). Brianna Pratt (10-4) is third with a 2.34 ERA.
Series History
Kent State is 54-60 all-time against Miami. The RedHawks have won four of the last five matchups. Six of the last nine games have been decided by a single run.
On Deck for the Flashes
Kent State is scheduled to complete the season series against rival Akron with a doubleheader at the Diamond at Dix on Wednesday, May 12.
