The Kent State softball team lost two of three conference games against the University at Buffalo this weekend. This sets KSU’s record at 4-2 for conference play, and 12-13 for the whole season.
Friday
Friday’s game ended after just five innings, and KSU’s lone run came in the first inning from senior infielder Brynn Libler’s triple to left field, which allowed junior outfielder Aaralyn Nogay to score. Buffalo immediately responded with four runs in the bottom of the first, before adding nine in the second and one in the fourth. The Bulls ended the game in mercy-rule fashion in five innings by a final score of 14-1
Saturday
Starting on the mound for the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader was freshman Meadow Ferri, pitching with an ERA of 5.87.
The series started with the Flashes dropping the first two games. After seven innings, KSU had scored all its runs in the third, and the final score was 6-4. Freshman leftfielder Miley Anderson started the four-run rally with a leadoff walk, then Nogay hit a single. Libler and freshman catcher Caleigh Shaulis both drew walks, which gave the Flashes one run.
Junior first baseman Megan Claerhout’s single allowed Nogay and Libler to score. Later, junior right fielder Ashlyn Porter’s single brought Shaulis home.
Nogay, who just won her first Mid-American Conference of the Week award, went 3-for-4. She’s currently batting .312 on the season, with 24 hits, 21 stolen bases and an on-base percentage of .411.
Buffalo ultimately held on to its lead and won Saturday’s first game 6-4.
Starting on the mound for the back end of the doubleheader and the final game of the series was freshman Riley Miller, who has an ERA of 5.28, the lowest average on the team.
Libler opened the scoring in the first inning with a leadoff homerun. After a Porter single, she scored on a wild pitch to give the Flashes a 2-1 lead by the end of the second inning.
After Porter’s single in the 4th inning, freshman shortstop Ciara Camacho hit her first homer of the season, which put KSU up 4-1. The Flashes scored their last group of runs in the fifth inning. Shaulis’ two-run home run allowed her and Libler to score, and Porter then hit an RBI single that allowed Claerhout to score after her double, making the final score 7-1.
This allowed the Flashes to salvage the series and avoid the sweep with a 7-1 victory.
Miller pitched all seven innings and induced 12 groundouts. Claerhout hit 2-for-4, and Porter went 2-for-2.
Key Stats
Porter leads the Flashes in batting average at .371, a very solid clip. Shaulis leads in on-base plus slugging with an average of 1.153. Leading RBI is Shaulis with 24; below her are junior catcher Lelani Johnson and Claerhout, with 13 each. Shaulis has hit the most home runs with eight, and Porter has the most hits with 26. Miller has the most strikeouts (27).
Audrey McCarthy is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].
