Ladines Throws Perfect Game in Sweep of Buffalo

Saturday, April 29

Buffalo, N.Y.

1:00 p.m.

Kent State University

23-24, 11-9

Buffalo

8-42, 3-17

Kent State

Buffalo

Photo by: David Dermer

Ladines Throws Perfect Game in Sweep of Buffalo

4/29/2017 6:23:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Game 1 Game 2

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Senior Ronnie Ladines threw the third perfect game in Kent State history and blasted a pair of homers in a doubleheader sweep of Buffalo on Saturday afternoon. The Golden Flashes won the first game, 11-1, and then completed the series sweep with a 10-0 win in five innings.

"It is often said that softball is a game of failure, so to achieve a moment of perfection is extraordinary," said head coach Eric Oakley.

Kent State (24-24, 12-9 MAC) has now won a season-best six straight games to improve to .500 overall for the first time since March 10

"These were great team wins today with outstanding performances from several individuals," Oakley said. "Our approach at the plate was stellar in both games and it was great to see contributions from nearly everybody that was sent to the plate. Madi set the tone with a great outing to start the day, and I can't say enough about Ronnie's performance this weekend, both in the circle and at the plate."

The Flashes' bats were with a .422 batting average (27-for-64), including a season-best 18 hits in the opening game, and a .493 on-base percentage.

Junior Emily Dobbin led the way with seven hits in nine at-bats. Junior Holly Speers and sophomore Bailey Brownfield both went 4-for-5 on the day. Speers had two home runs, four RBIs, three walks and a team-high six runs scored. Sophomore Jen Cader added four hits and two RBIs, freshman Kellie Abeska had a team-high five RBIs and Ladines had four RBIs and scored five runs.

Freshman Madi Huck threw Saturday's first game and combined with Ladines to allow the Bulls to score just one run in the series.

Game 1: Kent State 11, Buffalo 1
Kent State had eight players contribute to a season-high 18 hits to beat Buffalo, 11-1. Jen Cader and Holly Speers both went 4-for-5 at the plate to lead the offense. Speers showed no signs of rust after sitting the first three games of the week with two home runs, four runs scored and four RBIs. Emily Dobbin added three hits, a career-high at the time.

Not to be overshadowed by the Golden Flashes' hitters, Madi Huck (3-5) did not allow an earned run to pick up her first victory against a conference opponent. Huck had three strikeouts and did not issue another walk after the first batter the Bulls sent to the plate. The freshman scattered nine hits over seven innings, but repeatedly found ways to escape and left nine runners on base.

Kellie Abeska's bases-clearing double gave the Golden Flashes a 3-0 lead in the top of the second inning following singles by Speers, Bailey Brownfield and Cader. Kent State's next two batters reached to load the bases once again, but Buffalo pitcher Ally Power was able to get out of the jam without further damage.

The Flashes added three more in the third. Speers and brownfield once again singled to start the frame, and a dropped fly ball to shallow center field loaded the bases. After Speers scampered home on a wild pitch, Cader brought in a run with a groundout to the right side. Vanessa Vodan then singled to make it a 6-0 game.

A passed ball allowed the Bulls to score their lone run of the day in the third inning.

Speers hit a solo home run in the fourth and a three-run bomb in the seventh. Ronnie Ladines added a solo shot in the seventh inning for the final run of the game.

Bailey Brownfield singled in her only two trips to the plate.

Game 2: Kent State 10, Buffalo 0 (5 innings)
Ronnie Ladines (13-13) retired all 15 Buffalo batters she faced and hit what proved to be the game-winning home run as Kent State won in five innings, 10-0. Ladines finished with four strikeouts and retired 36 of the 37 batters she faced in the series.

With two runners aboard in the top of the fourth, Ladines broke a scoreless tie with a three-run bomb to left field that landed inside of UB Stadium, scoring Holly Speers and Bailey Brownfield.

The Golden Flashes added seven runs, all with two outs, in the fifth to put the game away. Emily Dobbin singled to start the inning and Speers drew her third walk of the game to keep the inning going. Brownfield then singled to score Dobbin and back-to-back walks to Ladines and Jen Cader made it 5-0. Singles by Kellie Abeska and Paige McCrary put the Flashes ahead 8-0. Batting for the second time in the inning, Dobbin brought in two more runs with a double to account for the final score.

Kent State totaled nine hits in the game. Dobbin topped her career-high in Game 1 with a 4-for-4 performance. Brownfield went 2-for-3

On Deck for the Flashes
Kent State will travel to Ohio State for its final non-conference contest on Wednesday at 4 p.m. and can be heard on Golden Flashes Radio.