Akron Opens MAC Play Hosting Buffalo

Friday, March 19

Akron, Ohio

3:00 PM

University of Akron

Buffalo

March 18 | Softball

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AKRON, Ohio - The University of Akron women's softball squad is set to open Mid-American Conference play this weekend as the Zips welcome Buffalo to Lee R. Jackson Field for a four-game series. The series is bookended with single contests on Friday, March 19, and Sunday, March 21, between a doubleheader on Saturday, March 20.

Buffalo | Lee R. Jackson Field

March 19 vs. Buffalo | 3 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Stream
March 20 vs. Buffalo | 1 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Stream
March 20 vs. Buffalo | 3 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Stream
March 21 vs. Buffalo | 12 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Stream

WHAT'S AHEAD:
The University of Akron softball squad will open weekend action against the Bulls at 3 p.m. on Friday. The teams meet again for a twinbill on Saturday at 12 and 2 p.m., respectively. The series draws to a conclusion with a 12 p.m. tilt on Sunday, March 21.

SCOUTING AKRON:
Akron is in its 44th season of intercollegiate competition in 2021. Under the direction of second-year head coach Meaggan Pettipiece, the Zips returned 16 players from the Zips' 2020 squad and have added 12 newcomers to the 2021 roster.

Redshirt freshman OF Molly McChesney (Verona, Wis.) leads the offensive exploits for the Zips this season batting a team-best .458 on the strength of team-high marks in hits (11), runs (6), total bases (13), triples (1), stolen bases (4), slugging percentage (.542) and on-base percentage (.480), while ranking third in at-bats (24). Additionally, redshirt freshman C Laurel DeVoe (North Canton, Ohio) has posted a team-best five RBI.

A quintet of Akron pitchers has tossed double-digit innings in the circle, including 17.2, 16.1, 15.2, 11.1 and 10.2 innings, respectively, from freshman P Olivia Stefanoni (Hudson, Ohio), junior P Olivia Otani (Canton, Ohio), freshman Sheridon Wilber (Rock Creek, Ohio), redshirt sophomore Lexie Petrof (Ligonier, Pa.) and redshirt junior Alexa DiFeo (Akron, Ohio). Stefanoni, Otani, Petrof, DiFeo and Wilber have earned 22, 15, eight, seven and five strikeouts, respectively.

This season, the Zips returned four of their top-six hitters from a year ago in redshirt freshman OF Tiffany Stevens (Toledo, Ohio), redshirt junior INF Sydney Jascoe (Commerce, Mich.) and seniors INF/OF Jessie Holzman (Medina, Ohio) and OF Madison Carter (Newnan, Ga.).

Stevens is Akron's top-returning hitter after batting .315 a season ago, with 17 hits in 54 at-bats, with eight RBI, six runs scored, five doubles and a pair of home runs. She boasted a .519 slugging percentage and .373 on-base mark.

Jascoe batted .300 en route to belting a team-high seven home runs, while also leading the Zips in RBI (21), and runs scored (16), while ranking second in hits (21) and total bases (46). Her .657 slugging and .388 on-base percentages are tops among returners this season.

Holzman finished the season with a .297 average recording 11 hits in 37 at-bats, four extra-base hits, while scoring eight runs and plating eight RBI.

Carter registered a .286 average on the strength of 12 hits in 42 at-bats, including three extra-base hits, and finished the campaign with eight runs scored and four RBI.

Jascoe was one of two returning Zips to start all 25 games in 2020, while senior OF Macky Mitchiner (Riverside, Calif.), who posted 12 hits, including five for extra bases, while ranking second on the squad with 11 RBI, started all 23 games in which she played.

Inside the circle, Petrof appeared in 16 games for the Zips, including 10 starts, going 55.1 innings and striking out 19 to maintain a 5.44 ERA. DiFeo made five starts as part of nine overall appearances on the mound for the Zips, fanning 10 in 18.2 innings of work en route to owning a 5.25 ERA. Additionally, redshirt sophomore Lauren Frigyes (Paris, Ohio) worked 12.2 innings of relief, in which she struck out six and tallied a 10.50 ERA.

Joining the Zips roster in 2020 are 12 newcomers; freshmen UTIL Anna Aquino (Medina, Ohio), INF Carley Auten (Pickerington, Ohio), INF Madison Dudek (Uniontown, Ohio), INF Hannah Gartrell (York, Pa.), OF Kalli Macintosh-Houlder (Mississauga, Ontario), Otani, sophomores C Katelyn Reynolds (Cincinnati, Ohio) and C Teagan Rice (Louisville, Ohio) and freshmen UTIL Jillian Riegert (Worthington, Ohio), Stefanoni, INF Atlantis Taufa (Fullerton, Calif.) and Wilber.

SCOUTING BUFFALO:
Buffalo stands at 2-11 on the young after 7-3 and 9-1 triumphs over North Florida and Florida A&M on Saturday and Sunday, March 6-7, respectively. Freshman INF Ally Sobaszek owns a .303 batting average on the strength of team-high marks in hits (10), home runs (2), total bases (18) and slugging percentage (.545), while ranking second in runs (5), third in doubles (2) and RBI (4). In the circle, sophomore P Madelyn Hickingbottom and senior P Ally Marcano own 7.59 and 7.71 ERA's having tossed 21.1 and 28.0 innings, respectively.

SERIES HISTORY:
Akron is set to meet Buffalo for the 47th, 48th, 49th and 50th times, respectively, in program history, with the Zips leading the all-time series, 34-12. The Bulls won two of three games from Akron during the 2019 campaign, with the Zips edging Buffalo, 4-3, on April 2, 2019, before the Bulls posted 16-6 and 6-5 triumphs past Akron on April 2, 2019 and April 10, 2019, respectively.

A WEEK AGO:
Akron came up short in its opening two games at the Buccaneer Classic hosted by East Tennessee State on Saturday, March 13, as the Zips fell to Bradley, 2-0, before dropping a 4-0 decision to the host Buccaneers.

In the opener against the Braves, the two teams battled through a scoreless contest before Bradley broke through with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Akron's Lexie Petrof pitched a complete game for the Zips striking out five, while allowing only one earned run. She opened the contest striking out a pair before allowing the first hit of the ballgame with a two-out single in the bottom of the third.

Collecting one hit apiece for Akron was 3B Madison Dudek, DP Katelyn Reynolds and RF Tiffany Stevens (Toledo, Ohio).

In the nightcap, East Tennessee State scored a run in the first inning and a pair in the bottom of the second en route to earning a 4-0 victory over the Zips.

Alexa DiFeo and Olivia Otani combined to strike out five batters for Akron.

Offensively, Dudek registered a first-inning double for the Zips, while redshirt freshman Jaiden Bryant (Hilliard, Ohio) collected a one-out single in the top of the third inning.

Akron suffered a pair of setbacks to close the Buccaneer Classic hosted by East Tennessee State on Sunday, March 14, as the Zips fell to Bradley, 6-5, before dropping a 11-3 decision to the host Buccaneers.

In the opener, Bradley scored single runs in the first two frames to assume a 2-0 lead before the Zips erupted for three runs in the bottom of the second inning to go ahead 3-2.

Redshirt freshman 2B Maggie Sons (Dalzell, Ill.) laced a one-out single to center field and advanced to second base on a throwing error. Sheridon Wilber then struck a 1-1 offering up the middle for a base hit to plate Sons. Following a pair of walks, Dudek delivered a two-out double to the gap in left center field to drive in Wilber and redshirt sophomore OF Morgan Cadmus (Tecumseh, Mich.) for a pair of RBI.

Bradley responded with a run in the top of the third inning to even the game at three before a three-run frame in the fourth to retake a 6-3 lead.

In the bottom of the fifth, C Teagan Rice was hit by a pitch before LF Carley Auten pinch ran for her. Dudek again came up clutch with an RBI double to left center field to drive in Auten.

The Zips loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh inning with one out before Dudek, who reached on a fielder's choice, came across the dish on throwing error by Bradley to bring Akron within one, 6-5. The Zips again loaded the bases, but were unable to push across the tying run, as they fell by the final 6-5 margin.

Dudek finished the game going 2-for-3 at the plate with three RBI and a run scored to lead the offensive efforts for Akron. Petrof was one of three pitchers for the Zips tossing three innings of scoreless relief. Petrof later added 1.2 innings of scoreless pitching in the nightcap against East Tennessee State.

In game two, a two-out double by redshirt junior 1B Lauren Holdsworth (Howell, Mich.) gave Akron a 1-0 lead over East Tennessee State in the top of the first inning.

The Zips held the advantage until the Buccaneers plated four runs on five hits in the bottom of the third inning.

East Tennessee extended its lead to 6-1 with two runs in the bottom of the fourth courtesy of four hits.

Akron posted clutch two-out hitting in the top of the sixth inning as the Zips scored a pair of runs to cut their deficit to 6-3. After Holdsworth was hit by a pitch, Cadmus pinch ran for her and came around to score on a double to center field by RF Tiffany Stevens (Toledo, Ohio). Petrof followed with a single to center field to drive in Stevens.

The Buccaneers put the game away in the bottom of the frame with five runs en route to securing a 11-3 victory.

A UNIQUE HONOR:
The Zips were honored this week by the NCAA as their sixth-inning inning-ending double play against Marshall in game one on March 3 was recognized as the No. 2 play in the Top-Five Plays of the Week by NCAA Softball. With one out in the bottom of the frame and a runner on first base, a hard-hit liner was snared by a diving Samantha Malik, who got to her feet and fired to Jessie Holzman to double up the runner at first base. WATCH HERE

AKRON NOTES:
• The Zips have been a member of the Mid-American Conference for the past 27 years after joining the league in 1993 from the North Star Conference.
• Akron's softball roster in 2021 is compiled of 28 student-athletes from all across the United States with eight different states and one Canadian Province represented. The Zips roster consists of 16 players from Ohio, three from Michigan, two from California and Pennsylvania, one from Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Ontario and Wisconsin.
• The 2020 season marks the 44th season of intercollegiate competition for the Akron softball program.

UP NEXT:
Akron is scheduled to host non-conference doubleheaders versus Saint Francis and Marshall on Wednesday and Thursday, March 24-25, respectively.