Akron Looks For MAC Series Win At Buffalo

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Akron vs. Buffalo
April 10 | Buffalo, N.Y.
Nan Harvey Field

Game Information
Live Stats: GoZips.com
Watch: GoZips.com
Akron vs. Buffalo Gamenotes (PDF)

What's Ahead
The Akron softball team will conclude its four-game road trip on Wednesday, April 10. The Zips head to Buffalo, N.Y., to close out their three-game series against Buffalo at 2 p.m. Akron and the Bulls split its first two contests in Akron, Ohio on April 2.

Scouting the Bulls
Buffalo will enter Wednesday's series finale against the Zips owning a lower overall winning percentage (.217) than Akron, but sits seventh overall in the Mid-American Conference standings as the Bulls are 3-3-1 in league player after seven contests. UB posted a 3-20 non-conference ledger prior to the start of MAC play on March 22. In league contests, Buffalo split the opening weekend against Northern Illinois winning 8-4 and losing 10-4, before splitting a three-game series against Central Michigan, 1-1-1 and splitting the first two contests against UA.

Buffalo's duo of Anna Aguon and Jenelle Martinez pace the Bulls offense from the plate in 2019 each hitting over .300. In 28 starts, Aguon is hitting a team-best .404/.670/.467 which includes 38 hits, 11 doubles, one triple, four home runs and 17 runs scored which all are team-highs, along with 14 RBI, nine walks, and seven strikeouts. Martinez has seen a lot of success at the plate for the Bulls and is hitting .301 in 83 at-bats while starting all 28 games for Buffalo. The Bulls junior infielder has tallied 25 hits, 13 RBI, five doubles, scored 13 runs and totaled 33 bases. Additionally, Martinez owns 14 walks, struck out nine times, and stolen eight bases in nine attempts on the base path. Junior utility player for Buffalo, Gabby Keller, has started 121 games and played in 24 contests en route to a .310 batting average by way of 18 hits in 58 at-bats which includes three doubles, 5 RBI, and 10 runs scored.

Inside the circle, the Bulls rely on a pair of senior arms in its pitching staff which include Ally Power and Lace Smith. Power, who owns a 3-12 record in 23 games and 16 starts while throwing seven complete games. In 100.2 innings of work, Power has given up 147 hits, 97 runs, and 68 earned runs to total a 6.08 earned run average. Power has additionally struck out 51 batters, walked 25, and given up 42 extra-base hits while the opposition is averaging .333 at the plate. Fellow senior, Smith, has tossed 79.0 innings of work in 20 games and 13 starts. En route to a 3-10 record on the rubber, Smith has allowed 1123 hits, 81 runs, 67 earned runs, struck out 16 and walked 29.

In the NCAA, Aguon ranks 90th in batting average, 14th in doubles per game (0.39), and 142nd in slugging percentage (.670) while Martinez is rated 136th in sacrifice flies (2), and Alexis Matheney and Alissa Karjel rank 14th and 81st in walks, respectively. As a team in the MAC, the Bulls rank fifth in doubles (47), second in walks (132), sixth in home runs, third in strikeouts, and fourth in on-base percentage. Inside the MAC, Aguon ranks third in batting average, seventh in slugging percentage, eighth in on-base percentage, ninth in hits, and fifth in doubles.

Series History
Since the first meeting between the two programs in 2000, Akron has seen nothing but success against Buffalo on the softball diamond. The Zips own an all-time series record of 34-11 against the Bull. The Zips are 12-6 in the last 18 encounters with Buffalo. From 2011 to 2016, Akron dropped Buffalo in nine straight games and from 2005 to 2016, UA won 20 of 21 match-ups.

With A Win Over Buffalo Akron Would...

Earn its ninth win of the season.
Earn its third MAC win of the season.
Win the series against Buffalo, 2-1, and win its first Mid-American Conference series of the year.
Capture its 35th win over Buffalo in program history.

Last Time Out
Senior Laura Lakins (Akron, Ohio) big day at the plate including a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh inning in game one and a three-run home run in the game two, helped lead the Akron softball team to its first Mid-American Conference victory over Buffalo, 4-3, as the Zips split the twinbill to open the three-game series against the Bulls on April 2 at Lee Jackson Field.

As Akron and Buffalo headed into the bottom half of the seventh inning all squared at three runs, junior Jessie Holzman (Medina, Ohio) led off the Zips at-bats with a walk and moved over to second on a SAC bunt. With the winning run in scoring position, Akron pinch ran freshman Morgan Cadmus (Tecumseh, Mich.) who swiped third for her sixth stolen base of the season. Now, the winning run stood 60 feet away with Lakins coming to the plate. In the next at-bat, Lakins smacked a long single to fence driving in Cadmus for the winning run.

The Zips tallied seven hits in game one of the afternoon en route to the win. Sophomore Kayla Wulf (Maumee, Ohio) went a perfect 2-for-2 with a walk in the ballgame to lead the offensive efforts. Redshirt sophomore Sydney Jascoe (Commerce, Mich.), junior Samantha Malik (Orlando, Fla.), senior Jordan Crews (Waco, Ga.), Holzman, and the contest's hero, Lakins, each posted a hit in the match-up.

Inside the circle, junior Adrian Smith spun a gem inside the circle for Akron and threw her fifth complete game, her second straight. In all 7.0 innings, Smith gave up three runs on six hits, struck out four and walked two. After facing 33 batters, Smith forced 14 flyouts and four groundouts to go with her K's.

2019 Zip Breakdown
Under the guidance of 13th-year head coach, Julie Jones, the Zips are amidst the 42nd season of competition in 2019. Akron returned 11 letterwinners from a season ago and welcomed nine freshmen to the squad, including four transfers and five true freshmen.

Redshirt sophomore Sydney Jascoe (Commerce, Mich.), made an immediate impact in 2018 for the Zips in her first season of competition and was named to the 2018 All-MAC Second Team. Jascoe has picked right up from where she left off in 2018 and leads the Akron offensive efforts from the plate. Starting all 30 games at third base or behind the plate for the Zips, Jascoe owns a .391/.728/.467 slash line which includes a team-high 36 hits, seven doubles, eight home runs, 24 RBI, 67 total bases, and is a perfect 6-for-6 in stolen bases. The redshirt sophomore earned MAC Offensive Player of the Week honors in the first week of the season and has continued to rake ever since.

Sophomore Kayla Wulf (Maumee, Ohio) has taken a big step in her second season in an Akron uniform. Wulf owns a team second-best .352 average, .947 OPS, .511 slugging percentage, and .436 on-base percentage. Wulf has already surpassed her 2018 stats and recorded new season-highs in hits (31), runs scored (11), doubles (5), RBI (17), walks (11), which are a team-high, and five stolen bases. The Zips catcher recorded a 10-game on-base streak (2/22-3/23) spanning over a month.

The Akron outfield has played a large role in the Akron offense through 28 games of the 2019 season. After an injury ended her 2018 season early, junior Jessie Holzman (Medina, Ohio) has made an impact in the Akron lineup. The Zips left fielder is hitting .328 in 28 starts including 22 hits, four doubles, has scored 15 runs and swiped 10 bases. Senior Jordan Crews (Waco, Ga.) has found a home in right field, is hitting .2909 with 23 hits, driven in seven RBI, four doubles, and is 7-for-7 in stolen bases. In her first season in an Akron uniform, junior Macky Mitchiner (Riverside, Calif.) roams centerfield for the Zips and fit right into the Akron offense. Mitchiner has posted a .277 average on 26 hits, scored 15 runs, and totaled 31 bases including 14 stolen bases.

Redshirt senior Kimberly Rodriguez (Las Vegas, Nevada) and junior Samantha Malik (Orlando, Fla.) are among the top seven hitters in the Akron lineup in 2019 posting a combined .264 average (48-of-182) and 27 RBI. Rodriguez has driven in 17 runs which is tied for second-most in the lineup, scored a team-high 22 runs, and swiped 11 bases as the designated player. Malik, the second baseman for the Zips and junior college transfer, is hitting .294, knocked out 25 hits, five doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI, and scored 12 runs.

Inside the circle, the sister duo of junior Adrian Smith (St. Clairsville, Ohio) and freshman Amaya Smith (St. Clairsville, Ohio) have started 22 of the Zips 30 games and made a combined 36 appearances. Ad. Smith has tossed a team-high 87.1 innings of work and owns a 4.57 ERA, tossed six complete games, recorded a team-best five wins, and 68 strikeouts. In five starts and 13 games on the rubber, Am. Smith has given up 50 hits, 37 runs (27 earned), and totaled a 5.85 ERA. Freshman Lexie Petrof (Ligonier, Pa.), has been key for the Zips out of the bullpen making 13 appearances while also earning three starts. In 33.1 innings of work, Petrof has tallied a 6.93 ERA, given up 55 hits, and struck out 15.

2019 Zips Tidbits

Eight Zips, including Samantha Malik, Macky Mitchiner, Camryn Michallas, Amaya Smith, Lauren Holdsworth, Morgan Cadmus, Adrian Smith, and Lexie Petrof made their Akron debuts at the Blue Hose Invitational.
Five Akron players recorded an OPS of over 1.000 in Akron's first five games, including Sydney Jascoe (1.559), Jessie Holzman (1.115), Kimberly Rodriguez (1.004), and Samantha Malik (1.034).
Sydney Jascoe recorded at least one hit in all five games for the Zips recording a five-game hit streak.
Adrian Smith picked up her first win in her first appearance in an Akron uniform against Morgan State (12-11).
The Zips scored 12 runs in their season opener, which is the most runs scored by an Akron team in a season opener.
For the third time in program history, Akron has ended two games in a draw. No Zips team has finished a season with more than a pair of ties.
In the first five games of the season, Akron stole 18 bases in 22 attempts courtesy of nine different Zips baserunners, including six base runners going a combined 12-for-12.
Adrian Smith struck out a season-high eight batters against Morgan State in her second victory of the season.
Mikayla Newland and Adrian Smith recorded the Zips first combined shutout of the season (5-0) over the Bears.
Amaya Smith earned her first collegiate victory inside the circle against George Mason.
Sydney Jascoe recorded three RBI against George Mason which were a then career-high in a single-game.
At the Madeira Beach Tournament, Akron recorded 36 hits, eight doubles, two home runs, 20 RBI, scored 36 runs, and went 13-for-17 on stolen bases.
Sydney Jascoe has recorded team-highs in multi-hit games (10), hitting streak (8 games), and multi-RBI games (8).
Kayla Wulf owns a team-best on-base streak (10 games).
Macky Mitchiner is currently on a team-best four-game hitting streak, while Samantha Malik has the largest active on-base streak at eight games along.
The Zips offense has scored a season-high 28 runs in the third inning.
Camryn Michallas owns a 1.000 batting average (5-for-5) with a runner on third and less than two outs.
Jordan Crews has recorded a team-best .571 average when successfully advancing runners.
Crews is hitting a team-high .500 with runners in scoring position, Kayla Wulf has tallied a .514 average with runners on the bases, Sydney Jascoe owns a team-best .565 average when leading off an inning, and has totaled a team-high 10 RBI with two outs.
Sydney Jascoe owns a team-best .371 average with bases empty.
Adrian Smith records a team-high 5.45 strikeouts per game while Kooper Vertz averages a team-high 1.5 K's to walk ratio, and Lexie Petrof averages 11.13 flyouts per outing.
With two outs in an inning, Amaya Smith owns a pitching staff-low .250 opponent batting average while Adrian Smith has posted a staff-low 7.61 hits per outing.
Amaya Smith tossed her first career complete game shutout in an 8-0 win over North Carolina A&T.
Freshman Camryn Michallas recorded her first career multi-hit contest against UT Martin going 2-for-2 with an RBI.
Sydney Jascoe and Kimberly Rodriguez hit their fifth and third home runs of the season against Ball State, respectively. It was also the second time the two have homered in the same game this season.
Macky Mitchiner has recorded a team-best 40 straight putouts. Laura Lakins owns a team-high 94 putouts, while Jascoe has recorded a team-high 41 assists.
Jascoe and Kayla Wulf are averaging over one hit per game, 1.14 and 1.00, respectively.
Sydney Jascoe launched her team-leading sixth home run of the season, recorded her eighth multi-hit contest and posted her sixth multi-RBI performance against Youngstown State.
Akron scored eight unanswered runs in the fifth and sixth inning against WMU to tie the game up at eight.
The Zips held a lead in game one against WMU for six innings.
In the two games against Western Michigan, the two squads played a nine-inning game, decided game one in the seventh inning, and scored a combined 35 runs in two games.
The Akron offense had five players in the lineup that tallied a multi-hit performance in game two including, Wulf, Jascoe, Rodriguez, Crews and Mitchiner. The Zips top performer of the contest was Wulf who went 3-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored.
In game two against the Broncos, five players recorded an extra-base hit, eight notched a stolen base, and two tallied a sacrifice hit.
Adrian Smith tossed her fifth complete game of the season while picking up her fifth win in an Akron uniform.
Laura Lakins drove in a team-best five RBI combined in the doubleheader against Buffalo that included a walk-off RBI single to give the Zips a 4-3 win and a three-run home run, her second of the season.
Kayla Wulf went a perfect 2-for-2 and a walk in the Zips win against the Bulls.
Heading into the three-game series against Buffalo, six Zips are hitting above .250 and three players including Wulf, Jascoe, and Holzman are hitting over. 300.
Akron needs 68 stolen bases to set a new program record for most stolen bases in a season. The current record is 140 that was set in 2017.
Sydney Jascoe is halfway to joining the Zips top-10 list in most hits in a season. The last person to crack the list was Lisa McLean in 2009. Jascoe, 36 hits, No.10 Karrie Kovach, 66 hits in 1995.
Adrian Smith threw three-straight complete games (20 innings) to raise her CG season total to six against Toledo.
In game two against the Rockets, Akron recorded 13 hits, third-most in a single game in 2019 and eight Zips posted a hit in the match-up.
Sydney Jascoe recorded five RBI in the Zips 11-5 win over UT which are a career-best in a single game.
Freshman Lexie Petrof earned her first collegiate win inside the circle for Akron. After entering the game out of the bullpen, Petrof tossed 5 innings and gave up three runs on seven hits while striking out a pair
Sydney Jascoe hit two home runs in a single contest for the first time in her career against Toledo.

Up Next
Akron returns home to Lee Jackson Field on the campus of The University of Akron to begin a three-game homestand with a visit from Ohio. The Zips and Bobcats are scheduled for a three-game Mid-American Conference series on April 12-13 as the two teams head into the final month of regular-season softball. UA and OU are set to play one contest on Friday, April 12, at 3 p.m., before closing the weekend out with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 13 at 1 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Morgan Cadmus

Jordan Crews

Lauren Holdsworth

Jessie Holzman

Sydney Jascoe

Laura Lakins

Samantha Malik

Camryn Michallas

Macky Mitchiner

Mikayla Newland

Lexie Petrof

Kimberly Rodriguez

Adrian Smith

Amaya Smith

Kooper Vertz

Kayla Wulf

The University of Akron Athletics