Akron Softball Ends Tournament Play At Skyhawk Classic

Sunday, March 18

Martin, Tenn.

10 AM

University of Akron

1-19-1

Northern Kentucky University

12-7

Northern Kentucky

Akron

Photo by: Todd Drexler

Akron Softball Ends Tournament Play At Skyhawk Classic

March 18 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

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Game One: Box Score | Box Score (PDF)
Game Two: Box Score | Box Score (PDF)

MARTIN, Tenn. – Akron softball closed out tournament play for the 2018 regular season at the Skyhawk Hampton Inn Classic with a pair of losses to Northern Kentucky (6-2) and UT Martin (10-2) Sunday afternoon in Martin, Tenn.

Heading into the 2018 Mid-American Conference season and home opener at Lee R. Jackson Field, Akron owns a 1-20-1 record, while Northern Kentucky improved to 12-7 and UT Martin now stands 14-14.

Akron managed to put two runs on the board against the Norse in the bottom half of the fifth inning but it was not enough for the Zips to dig themselves out of a four-run deficit.

Sophomore Jessie Holzman (Medina, Ohio) went a perfect 3-for-3 with a double from the plate to lead the Akron offense which tallied eight hits in the morning contest. Three hits in a single contest is a new career-high for the Zips centerfielder. Along with Holzman, junior Jordan Crews (Waco, Ga.) posted her first career multi-hit contest in an Akron uniform with two base knocks, while senior Cassie Gillespie (Sylvania, Ohio), junior Maddy Clowdus (Eastvale, Calif.), and junior Laura Lakins (Akron, Ohio) each garnered a hit in the ballgame.

Freshman Kayla Kmett (San Clemente, Calif.) made her seventh start in the circle for Akron en route to hurling her first career complete-game of the season and her career. In seven innings of work, Kmett gave up six runs on six hits while striking out a pair of Norse hitters. Kmett forced 11 ground ball outs and eight fly ball outs.

After the first two innings, Northern Kentucky owned a 2-0 lead scoring a run in each of the first two innings.

The third and fourth inning was dominated inside the circle by Kmett and NKU's Ashlynn Roberts. Kmett set down the Norse 1-2-3 in back-to-back innings while Roberts gave up just one hit.

NKU added to its lead with two runs in the top of the fifth inning to take a 4-0 lead before the Zips strung together a few hits and got on the board. Gillespie connected on a single up the middle, Clowdus was hit by a pitch, and redshirt junior Kimberly Rodriguez (Las Vegas, Nevada) reached safely on a fielder's choice to load up the base path for Akron. Lakins then stepped to the plate and ripped an RBI single which scored Gillespie and Clowdus cutting the lead in half.

Two more insurance runs were added by the Norse in the top of the sixth inning and the Zips would put only one more runner on base in their final two at-bats as the game ended with NKU defeating Akron, 6-2.

In game two of the afternoon, Akron scored first in the ballgame in the top of the first inning, but the Zips could not keep the Skyhawks off the board as UT Martin came out on top, 10-2.

Redshirt freshman Sydney Jascoe (Commerce, Mich.) led off the contest with an infield single to the shortstop. After Jascoe was moved over to second on a sacrifice bunt by Gillespie, Rodriguez ripped a double to right-center field scoring Jascoe. Rodriguez was also able to come all the way around to score after a throwing error by the Skyhawks first baseman.

The host of the tournament, UT Martin, would take over from that point scoring 10 runs in four of the five innings played before the contest ended in the fifth inning due to the NCAA run rule.

Senior Kooper Vertz (Dilsboro, Ind.) made her fifth start of the season and Kmett appeared in her 13^th tilt in the circle for Akron. Kertz tossed 1.1 innings, gave up seven runs on seven hits while Kmett pitched three relief innings and surrendered five hits, three runs (two earned), and struck out one.

Akron returns to action next weekend, March 23-24, at home on Lee R. Jackson field for the first time in the 2018 season as the Mid-American Conference season gets underway. The Zips host the Toledo Rockets in the MAC opener in a three-game series.