Softball Travels to Kent for Three-Game Set

Softball at Kent State
Date	Friday - Saturday, April 8-9
Location	Kent, Ohio \| Diamond at Dix
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stats	KentStateSports.com
Live Audio	N/A
Twitter	@EMUSoftball \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University softball team continues Mid-American Conference play on the road this weekend, April 8-9, in crossover action. The Eagles will take on MAC East foe, Kent State University, in a three-game series at KSU's Diamond at Dix. The weekend series gets underway Friday, April 8, with a 3 p.m. first pitch. Saturday's doubleheader is slated to begin at 1 p.m.
   The Green and White (13-21, 3-5 MAC) are looking to get back on track after a mid-week sweep at the hands of Toledo, April 5. Since opening the conference slate 2-1, the Eagles have dropped four of their past five MAC contests. Like the Eagles, the Golden Flashes (22-12, 5-3 MAC) hope to bounce back from a pair of conference losses earlier this week.
   Fans can follow the game via Twitter (@EMUSoftball) or live stats.

FIFTH INNING BREAKDOWN OFFSETS THIRD INNING SUCCESS: Fifth inning run production has consistently clipped the Eagles this season. The Green and White have been outscored by 30 runs in the frame as opponents have plated 39 to EMU's nine runs in the inning. The staggering disparity has offset the Eagles' 41-28 advantage in the third inning, as teams have knocked off EMU in come-from-behind wins nine times this season.

SWIPER, NO SWIPING! SWIPER, NO SWIPING!: It seems as though team's have failed to recall Taylor Wagner's prowess of gunning down base runners from behind the plate. The Eagles' backstop led the conference a season ago and has picked up right where she left off in league games this season. Wagner has caught three runners stealing in seven conference games this year.

TALE OF THE TAPE: The Eagles all-time series with the Golden Flashes dates back to the 1985 campaign when the two squads first squared off. EMU swept the inaugural twin bill, taking game one 8-3 before securing the sweep with a 3-1 win. The two teams have met on the diamond 78 times with KSU holding a 47-31 edge. While the Green and White trail by 16 in the all-time series, EMU bested the Golden Flashes 2-0, April 8, 2015. Kent State took game one of the doubleheader, 2-1, in 11 innings before the Eagles came back to knock off the Golden Flashes, 2-0, in the second leg of the doubleheader. Michelle Kriegshauser launched a homer in the first inning before Abi Clark's RBI-double added an insurance run in the third.

EMU IN MAC PLAY: Eastern Michigan owns a 372-481-2 all-time record against teams in the Mid-American Conference. The Eagles have been the most successful against Ohio, Miami, and Toledo. The Green and White lead the series with the Rockets, 56-49, while holding 50-34 and 44-39 edges in series with Ohio and Miami, respectively. Meanwhile, EMU trails in the all-time series with Akron (20-30), Ball State (35-59), Bowling Green (39-55), Kent State (31-47), Northern Illinois (25-35), and Western Michigan (42-63-1).

GETTING TO KNOW THE GOLDEN FLASHES: The Golden Flashes sit two games back of MAC East leader, Miami, at 5-3 in league play after dropping a mid-week doubleheader to Ohio on the road. Despite the tumultuous start to the MAC season, KSU sports a 22-12 overall record.
   As a team, Kent State is hitting at a .262 clip with a league-leading 34 home runs. Holly Speers is hitting a team-best .360 at the dish. Speers hit five homers in five consecutive at bats to start MAC play and currently has 10 long balls to her credit to go along with 22 RBI's, ranking her second on the team in each category. Maddy Grimm is just ahead of Speers with 11 home runs and 25 RBI's, both team-bests, while owning a .302 batting average.
   In the circle, the Golden Flashes have allowed opponents to hit at a .272 clip. As a staff, KSU holds a 3.18 earned run average and has struck out 154 this season. The Golden Flashes have relied heavily on a pair of juniors, as Ronnie Ladines and Janel Hayes have combined to start all but two games this season. Ladines leads the team in ERA (2.68), wins (13), complete games (15), shutouts (4), and strikeouts (109), while Hayes has proven to be a strong number-two. Hayes has compiled an 8-9 record on the season behind a 3.27 ERA.

GROWING PAINS: The young Eagles squad committed 59 errors through the first 34 games of the season, including two five-error games.

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Players Mentioned

Abi Clark

Michelle Kriegshauser

Taylor Wagner

Eastern Michigan Athletics