Kent State softball swept Bowling Green State University in three games this weekend. This sets the team’s conference record at 7-5, and its overall record at 17-16.
Friday
On Friday morning, the Flashes were surprised by a sudden change in the audience. When KSU was down 5-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning, almost 80 Kent State football players, each in shoulder pads and helmets, came to support their fellow flashes. Right after their practice, the boys brought the energy up and cheered for the girls all game.
“That was really the start of a momentum for us,“ coach Jessica O’Donnell said. “I think we scored 3 runs in that inning, and then we continued to score throughout the game and won. It was neat to have them supporting a female team and just all around I think it was just such a fun weekend that really brought Kent State together. I think Coach Carney’s doing a really good job, just building a good culture.”
The scoring started when junior right fielder Ashlyn Porter singled up the middle before reaching home on a wild pitch. Then, freshman shortstop Alex Trevena’s groundout brought freshman third baseman Gabby Quinn home after her single.
The last run of the inning came from sophomore left fielder Brooke Aberle’s sacrifice fly, which allowed freshman pinch hitter Ciara Camacho to score after she got on the bases with a single.
The fourth inning ended with a score of 5-3, but the Falcons scored one more run in the fifth to double their lead.
Leading off in the bottom of the sixth was Quinn, who hit her second home run of the year to make the score 6-4. A few batters later, junior center fielder Aaralyn Nogay drew a walk with the bases loaded and it was a one-run ballgame.
With one out in the bottom of the sixth, freshman catcher Caleigh Shaulis hit a go-ahead single to score Aberle and Trevena which gave the Flashes a 7-6 lead.
Freshman Meadow Ferri pitched the final inning and earned her first save of the season.
Ferri also started on the mound for game two and pitched the first shutout game of her KSU career.
The offense was slow for both teams, and the Flashes didn’t score until the bottom of the sixth when Shaulis’s sacrifice fly brought Aberle home. Game two ended with a final score of 1-0, and the Flashes were winning the series 2-0 going into the final game against the Falcons.
Saturday
KSU ended the series with a 5-2 win on Saturday afternoon. The Flashes kept the scoring steady, earning one run in every inning besides the second.
Claerhout’s RBI allowed Nogay to open the scoring in the bottom of the first. In the bottom of the third, Nogay tripled before scoring again on senior second baseman Brynn Libler’s sacrifice fly.
Quinn scored when Trevena stole second in the bottom of the fourth, Nogay scored again in the fifth thanks to Claerhout’s single to right field. After Quinn tripled in the bottom of the sixth, she scored on an error to close the game at 5-2.
Ferri started on the mound, followed by redshirt junior Alena Hillyard in the fifth, who was then replaced by freshman Riley Miller who closed the game.
Key Stats
Porter leads the Flashes in batting average at .354, continuing her hot stretch at the plate. Shaulis leads in on-base plus slugging with an average of 1.061.
Leading in RBI is Shaulis with 33; below her is Libler with 18. Shaulis has hit the most home runs with nine, and Porter has the most hits with 34.
This weekend, Nogay recorded her 100th career hit. She also leads the Mid-American Conference in stolen bases with 23.
“She’s just phenomenal,” O’Donnell said. “She’s so fast, she gets a lot of balls. She’s a good leader out there in center field. Offensively, I love having her as our lead-off. She finds a way to get on anyway that she can, whether that’s a walk, um, or a base hit. It’s really nice to see her get that recognition and just continue to thrive in whatever areas she can help the team.”
On KSU’s pitching staff, Miller has the most strikeouts with 37. Ferri has the lowest ERA at 4.34.
What’s Next
The Flashes play three more conference games against the University of Akron at the Devine Diamond starting Tuesday at 7 p.m..
“Last year, we got beat up pretty good by Akron, they came to play,” O’Donnell said. “It’s gonna be a tough game, and the tougher team is gonna come out on top.”
Audrey McCarthy is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].