Nothing like the league's best team rolling in to amp up the barometer.
One weekend after splitting a series of four games in Michigan, the Bobcats (11-26, 6-4 Mid-American Conference) face the MAC's most dominant team in a doubleheader today at the Ohio Softball Field.
Kent State (21-16, 8-2) has won seven of its last eight games and in that stretch, outscored opponents 28-14.
The Golden Flashes don't do any one thing particularly well, but they are proficient in most offensive categories in the conference and are a very comfortable group in high-pressure, low-scoring contests.
Plain evidence of that comfort level is Kent State's four consecutive MAC East Division titles and two of the last three conference regular-season crowns. The team can flat out play in tough environments.
For the Bobcats, this weekend's four-game homestand is a chance to move up the conference ladder and build a little momentum as the regular season winds down.
Ohio has dropped four of the last six, but has seen an upturn from its pitching staff and improved hitting with runners on base.
With just 12 games remaining, every win is crucial for an Ohio team that sits two games behind the Golden Flashes for the division lead.
Kent State is a predominantly power-based ball club. The Golden Flashes have hit 39 home runs this season, 10 more than the next closest team (Central Michigan).
Apparently, they channel their inner Russell Branyan in MAC play, leading in home runs and also in total strikeouts by batters.
But what the Golden Flashes lack in hitting efficiency, they make up for in the circle.
They own the MAC's fourth-best earned run average and the third-lowest opponent batting average, and Kent State pitchers have fanned one shy of 300 batters to this point.
Ohio wraps up the weekend set with two games tomorrow and Sunday against Buffalo, a team that sits just behind the Bobcats in the MAC East.
2 Sports
Rob Mixer
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