The Kent State softball team went 2-2 over the weekend at the Ohio State Tournament in Columbus. 

“I’m really, really pleased with our offensive performance for the most part,” coach Jessica O’Donnell said. “That’s what’s keeping us in these games.”

KSU (7-16) lost 11-1 to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the first game of the day.

“We have yet to even practice on our field, so that’s kind of a challenge,” O’Donnell said. “In reality, it’s unrealistic when you go to play on a dirt field if you’re taking reps off of turf. So the hops are different.”

It was a short five-inning matchup.

“We had some tough competition with Ohio State and Texas,” O’Donnell said. 

The Flashes won 8-6 in their second game against Oakland. 

“I thought the fight and the tenacity of our team was super good,” O’Donnell said. “They did a great job fighting back and not quitting until the very last out.”

KSU earned their season-high of 13 hits against the Grizzlies.

Senior utility player Katie Jo Moery had a homerun in the top of the seventh. 

Freshman pitcher Ella Johnson secured the victory against Oakland. 

“Ella Johnson impressed me this weekend,” O’Donnell said. “I saw some really good growth moments from her.” 

The Flashes won 10-8 against Merrimack for their first game on Sunday. 

“I was just pleased because we limited the walks from the pitching as much as we could because, normally, one of our downfalls is giving up a lot of free bases,” O’Donnell said. 

KSU made a comeback in the seventh inning, scoring eight points. 

Johnson had a career-high of 10 strikeouts.

“She managed batters and attacked them,” O’Donnell said. “She didn’t look like a freshman out there on that mound.”

The Flashes lost 15-1 in the last game of the tournament against No. 1 Texas.

“Texas is the No. 1 ranked team in the country right now, so I was pleased with our offensive performance,” O’Donnell said. 

The Longhorns had three home runs.

“We gave up a good amount of home runs against teams, but this is a learning opportunity for us to continue to focus on spins,” O’Donnell said. 

Up next 

Over the weekend, the Flashes will compete at home in the first games of Mid-American Conference play.

“This is what all this prep work was up until this point, was to prepare for this moment,” O’Donnell said. 

The team will play Miami of Ohio three times in the span of two days (Friday and Saturday).

“The key this weekend is playing our game, with our identity, and just going after them because now this is where it really matters,” O’Donnell said.

The RedHawks are 8-14 overall this season.

“If we play our game on our field, stick to what we know, and not play to the other team, I think we’ll be okay,” O’Donnell said. 

Emily Lowen is a reporter. Contact her at elowen@kent.edu.