Central Michigan University Athletics
Friday, April 30
Kent, Ohio
3 p.m.
Central Michigan University
11-22, 9-14
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Kent State
17-21, 13-11
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Central Michigan
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Kent State
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Photo by: Jack Reeber '23,M'25 - @jackreeber.raw
Softball Drops Heartbreaker In Series Opener At Kent State
4/30/2021 8:32:00 PM | Softball
KENT, Ohio – Kent State used a pair of errors, a hit batter and a two-out single in the bottom of the seventh inning to generate the winning run in a 3-2 victory over Central Michigan in Friday's opener of a four-game Mid-American Conference softball series at the Golden Flashes' Diamond at Dix.
The loss spoiled a solid pitching performance by the Chippewas' Kaitlyn Bean, who allowed six hits, walked four and struck out four. Kent State's Jessica LeBeau struck out eight and walked four.
Bean surrendered two runs in the first inning, then did not allow another run until the unearned game-winner in the seventh.
"After the first inning she regrouped and bounced back and made some adjustments," CMU coach McCall Salmon said. "I think the first inning she wasn't hitting her spots as well as she could have. After we got out of that she really settled in.
"Seventy-six of her 121 pitches were strikes. She definitely gave us an opportunity to win, unfortunately we weren't able to come through in all aspects of the game today."
The Chippewas got a run back in the fifth when Skylar Coberley singled and Kelsey Alexander scored on a throwing error. CMU tied it in the sixth on a Shannon Stein sacrifice fly.
"I thought their pitcher threw really well," Salmon said. "I really liked our execution when we had runners on base. Kelsey drew a leadoff walk (in the fifth), we got a bunt down to move her over, and then (Coberley) had a big hit to score her and put us within one.
"The other run we had, we got a leadoff double from (Gardner), got the bunt down to move her over to third, and then Shannon Stein was able to get us a sac fly to tie the game.
"We did a lot of the little things like that from an execution standpoint. We really competed in every inning. There were definitely some good things overall. We were in the game all seven innings. A play here, a play there, it's a different outcome."
Kennadie Goth was safe on an error leading off the bottom of the seventh for Kent State. Bean retired the next two hitters before Alex Taube was hit by a pitch, moving Goth to second. Megan Turner followed with a single to center, and a misplay in the outfield allowed Goth to come home with the winning run.
The teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Saturday (1 p.m.).
The loss spoiled a solid pitching performance by the Chippewas' Kaitlyn Bean, who allowed six hits, walked four and struck out four. Kent State's Jessica LeBeau struck out eight and walked four.
Bean surrendered two runs in the first inning, then did not allow another run until the unearned game-winner in the seventh.
"After the first inning she regrouped and bounced back and made some adjustments," CMU coach McCall Salmon said. "I think the first inning she wasn't hitting her spots as well as she could have. After we got out of that she really settled in.
"Seventy-six of her 121 pitches were strikes. She definitely gave us an opportunity to win, unfortunately we weren't able to come through in all aspects of the game today."
The Chippewas got a run back in the fifth when Skylar Coberley singled and Kelsey Alexander scored on a throwing error. CMU tied it in the sixth on a Shannon Stein sacrifice fly.
"I thought their pitcher threw really well," Salmon said. "I really liked our execution when we had runners on base. Kelsey drew a leadoff walk (in the fifth), we got a bunt down to move her over, and then (Coberley) had a big hit to score her and put us within one.
"The other run we had, we got a leadoff double from (Gardner), got the bunt down to move her over to third, and then Shannon Stein was able to get us a sac fly to tie the game.
"We did a lot of the little things like that from an execution standpoint. We really competed in every inning. There were definitely some good things overall. We were in the game all seven innings. A play here, a play there, it's a different outcome."
Kennadie Goth was safe on an error leading off the bottom of the seventh for Kent State. Bean retired the next two hitters before Alex Taube was hit by a pitch, moving Goth to second. Megan Turner followed with a single to center, and a misplay in the outfield allowed Goth to come home with the winning run.
The teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Saturday (1 p.m.).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: LEBEAU, Jessica (11-10)
L: Bean, Kaitlyn (1-7)
Batting:
2B: Gardner, Morgan 1
RBI: Stein, Shannon 1
SH: Tolmie, Abbey 1 ; Acuña, Gisele 1
SF: Stein, Shannon 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Knapp, Tailynn 1 ; Alexander, Kelsey 1
CS: Tolmie, Abbey 1
Batting:
2B: MILLER, Kaitlyn 1 ; SBORLINI, Olivia 1
RBI: TURNER, Megan 2
SH: TAUBE, Alexis 1
Base Running:
RUNS: GOTH, Kennadie 2 ; WHITT, Brooklyn 1
CS: TAUBE, Alexis 1
HBP: TAUBE, Alexis 2
Game Leaders
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
C/OF
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballIF
/ Softball
P/IF
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