Kent State Softball Splits Opening Day at Camel Stampede

Friday, February 7

Buies Creek, N.C.

12:30 p.m.

Kent State University

1-0

East Tennessee State

0-2

East Tennessee State

Kent State

Photo by: Reilly Hall

Kent State Softball Splits Opening Day at Camel Stampede

2/7/2025 10:49:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

BUIES CREEK, N.C. – The 50th season of Kent State softball started with a pair of one-run games on Friday at the Camel Stampede, as the Golden Flashes beat East Tennessee State in 11 innings, 7-6, and then fell to host Campbell, 5-4.

Six different players recorded multiple hits on opening day. Senior Delaney Robeson led the way with four hits, while redshirt sophomore Kendal Leitner, junior Brynn Libler and senior Katie Jo Moery added three hits each.

All four members of the pitching staff tossed at least three innings, and the unit allowed only four earned runs on the day.

Game 1: Kent State 7, ETSU 6 (11 innings)
Kent State scored in its first trip to the plate, as Aaralyn Nogay led off the bottom of the first inning with a double. Nogay advanced to third on a wild pitch and came home on a sac fly by Kendal Leitner.

East Tennessee tied it in the top of the fourth and went ahead 2-1 in the top of the seventh.

Leitner drew a walk to start the bottom of the seventh and moved to second on a sac bunt by Delaney Robeson before being replaced by pinch runner Brooke Aberle. Following a fly ball for the second out of the inning, Katie Jo Moery tied it with a triple to send the game to extra innings.

With the international tiebreaker in effect, ETSU was able to score in the top half of the next four innings. The Golden Flashes were able to match the run each time with RBI hits by Kam Utendorf in the eighth, Robeson in the ninth and Moery in the 10th.

In the bottom of the 11th, a sac bunt by Leitner advanced Wing to third. Wing then tied it on a single by Robeson. Brynn Libler followed with a single. A fielder's choice then accounted for the second out, bringing Maddy Miklesh to the plate. An error by the shortstop allowed Libler to cross the plate for the walk-off win.

Leitner (1-0) tossed the final three innings and earned the victory. She finished with three strikeouts and did not allow any earned runs. Abbey Pochie got the start in the circle and allowed one run over four innings. Ella Johnson threw four relief innings in her collegiate debut and recorded five strikeouts while allowing one earned run.

Game 2: Campbell 5, Kent State 4
Aaralyn Nogay scored in the first inning for the second time on the day, reaching on a walk, moving to second on a groundout and scoring on a single by Savannah Wing.

Nogay scored again in the top of the third for a 2-1 lead after drawing another walk and sprinting home on an error by the third baseman.

Campbell tied it in the bottom of the third and it remained 2-2 after five innings.

The Golden Flashes plated a pair in the top of the sixth, as Brynn Libler and Maddy Miklesh recorded RBI singles.

An error allowed the leadoff batter to reach for the Camels in the bottom of the sixth and the hosts plated three unearned runs in the frame to go ahead 5-4.

The tying run reached third in the top of the seventh following two-out singles by Katie Jo Moery and Kendal Leitner but the Flashes were unable to complete the comeback. Leitner had a career-high three hits in the game.

Delaney Nagy (0-1) allowed two earned runs on six hits and had one strikeout over 5.2 innings in the circle. Ella Johnson recorded a strikeout to finish the bottom of the sixth.

On Deck for the Flashes
Kent State will play the same two teams on Saturday. First pitch against Campbell is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and the Flashes will finish the day against ETSU at 6 p.m.

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