Despite a series of four losses and one win for the Kent State softball team this weekend, junior pitcher Kylie Reynolds held her own on the pitching rubber.

“I think Kylie did fairly well,” Kent State coach Karen Linder said. “I don’t think our pitching was as strong as last weekend, and I was a little disappointed with that.”

The Flashes went 1-4 in the Littlewood Classic this weekend in Tempe, Ariz., beating Tennessee-Chattanooga but losing to Iowa, Arizona State, Idaho State and Illinois State. Reynolds struck out 32 batters in her four games pitched.

“I hoped that we would have done better,” Linder said. “I think we were inconsistent in terms of our offense.”

The Flashes’ lone win was a 4-3 victory Friday against Tennessee-Chattanooga. Chattanooga led after scoring three runs in the second inning, but Kent State answered with one run in the third inning, two in the fifth and one in the seventh.

Reynolds got the win after relieving sophomore Markie Pozzuto in the sixth inning and striking out four batters in two innings.

The opening game against Iowa on Friday went into extra innings, with the Flashes losing 1-0. Reynolds had 11 strikeouts and only allowed two hits the entire game.

The Flashes lost 6-2 to defending national champion Arizona State in the first game of the day Saturday. Reynolds was strong on the mound with 11 total strikeouts. Sophomore shortstop Jessica Carmichael and junior outfielder Lauren Brocklehurst scored Kent State’s only two runs of the game.

“I was happy that we scored against Arizona State, which are the defending national champions,” Linder said.

In the second game Saturday, the Flashes lost 6-4 to Idaho State after the Bengals scored six runs in the first two innings of the game. Senior third baseman Kalie Germaine hit a home run to left field in the second inning, but it wasn’t enough.

In their final game against Illinois State yesterday, the Flashes lost 2-1. Reynolds had six strikeouts and allowed two hits. Sophomore first baseman Maria Conti scored the Flashes’ only run of the game in the seventh inning.

After going 4-1 in their tournament last weekend, the Flashes didn’t live up to their coach’s expectations for this weekend.

“I really thought we had the ability to come away from here at least 3-2,” Linder said. ” . I thought we had the ability to beat (Illinois State) and Idaho State.”

The team’s next tournament will be Feb. 28 and March 1 at the Golden Corral Phoenix Classic in Elon, N.C., against Elon and Bucknell.

Contact sports correspondent Megan Moore at [email protected].