Marshall jumped out to a 4-0 lead after two innings, and the Kent State softball team couldn’t recover, falling to the Thundering Herd, 10-4.

Marshall (7-8) got on the board first in the bottom of the opening inning on a base hit by Eloise Tribolet, who was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double.

In the second inning, Kent State (7-4) starting pitcher Brenna Brownfield walked Marshall second baseman Elicia D’Orazio with the bases loaded to open up a 2-0 advantage for the Thundering Herd. A few batters later, catcher Taylor McCord broke the game open with a two-run double to left field.

Brownfield was pulled after the second inning, striking out one and walking three en route to giving up four runs in a loss.

Holly Speers and freshman outfielder Kennadie Goth combined for four of the Flashes’ five hits on the game. Speers went 2-for-4 with three RBI, including a two-run homer over the fence in left field in the fifth inning. Speers is now batting .612 on the season with four home runs and 18 RBI in just 10 games.

Goth went 2-for-3, scoring two runs for Kent State.

Sophomore Kailee Williamson got the win in the circle for the Thundering Herd, striking out three Flashes over five innings of four-run ball. Ali Burdette pitched two hitless innings in relief.

The Flashes return to the diamond for the Duke Inaugural Invitational in Durham, North Carolina, to play four games, the first of which is at 11 a.m. Friday against Lehigh (1-4).

Cameron Hoover is the sports editor. Contact him at [email protected].