“We play a game of failure,” coach Jessica O’Donnell said after the Kent State softball team was swept over the weekend by Northern Illinois.
“So if you don’t know how to manage the failure and be able to continue to get back up and bounce back and give us your best on the next play, it’s gonna snowball,” she said. “And we saw a lot of that this weekend.”
This series sweep sets KSU’s conference record at 7-11 and the team’s overall record at 17-22.
Saturday
The Flashes fought hard in game one of Saturday’s doubleheader but ultimately lost 9-8. The offense started strong with five runs by the top of the fourth inning.
Junior right fielder Ashlyn Porter got the flashes on the board in the second when she scored on freshman designated player Ciara Camacho’s sacrifice.
KSU racked up four more runs in the top of the fourth, starting with freshman third baseman Gabby Quinn’s double which scored Porter after she singled. Quinn then scored on freshman shortstop Alex Trevena’s single, and Camacho scored thanks to sophomore left fielder Brooke Aberle’s double which gave the Flashes a 5-1 lead.
Leading off at the top of the seventh was junior center fielder Aralyn Nogay who was hit by a pitch, moments later, senior second baseman Brynn Libler was also hit. Stepping up to the plate with two runners on was freshman catcher Caleigh Shaulis, who smashed her 10th homer of the season to make the score 8-5, Flashes.
Unfortunately, KSU couldn’t hold the rallying Huskies any longer, and they scored four in the final inning for a walk-off win in devastating fashion.
The Flashes opened the scoring in game two with two runs in the first quarter thanks to a pair of RBI singles from junior first baseman Megan Clarehout and Porter. NIU then scored five in the first and 10 in the second while the Flashes were only able to score one more run on a passed ball. The final score was 15-3, Huskies.
Sunday
In the final game of the series, KSU lost its sixth game in a row by a final score of 10-4.
The Huskies opened the game with three runs in the bottom of the first without a single run-scoring base hit. All three were brought home on a walk, a sacrifice fly and a fielder’s choice.
Camacho scored KSU’s first run on Aberle’s single in the top of the second, then she homered in the top of the fourth. Later in the inning, Aberle scored on Nogay’s triple. The Flashes’ fourth and final run came from Trevena, who scored on a single from Nogay.
In the second inning, NIU scored four runs. The Huskies tacked on another in the third and two more in the fourth to put the nail in the coffin for the series.
Nogay went four-for-eight on the series, and she broke KSU’s record for stolen bases in a single season with 27 total steals and counting.
“Aaralyn just finds a way,” O’Donnell said. “Whether she uses her speed to her advantage, which is huge, so she could bunt a ball, she could hit a ball, and she has a really good eye at the plate. She usually finds a way to get on, and once she gets on, it’s an easy decision.”
Key Stats
Porter leads the Flashes in batting average at .360, continuing what’s been a great year at the plate. Freshman catcher Caleigh Shaulis leads in on-base plus slugging with an average of 1.010.
Leading in RBI is Shaulis with 36; below her is Claerhout with 22. Shaulis has hit the most home runs with 10, and Nogay has the most hits with 43.
On KSU’s pitching staff, freshman Riley Miller has the most strikeouts with 53 and the lowest ERA at 5.11.
What’s Next
The Flashes will face the Ohio University Bobcats starting Friday. KSU’s all-time record against OU is 17-26.
“Our sights are set on the conference tournament and the top six going to that, and knowing that we are still in the mix of this,” O’Donnell said. “We’re not far out, one series can change anything.”
Audrey McCarthy is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].