It was a busy weekend for The University of Akron’s softball team as they played four games over a three-day stretch. The Zips played two vital series against MAC foes in which they went 3-1 for the weekend.

On Friday, Akron continued the Wagon Wheel Challenge as they played a double header with the Flashes of Kent State on their home diamond, The Diamond at Dix. In the two games, Akron split the series. As for the Wagon Wheel Challenge, both teams received an extra half of a point. Akron still leads 5.5 to 4.5.

The first game was more of a defensive battle as the Zips pulled through with a 2-1 victory, while the next game was a slaughter by the Flashes as they won 12-2. On the mound, UA’s Erin Selier recorded her 14th win of the season and had 11 strikeouts during the series. Scorers for UA were Chelsea Widey with a run in each match, Taryn Allmon, and Kellie Roundabush.

The other series pinned the Zips against the Bulls of Buffalo, which they won 1-0 on Saturday and 9-0 on Sunday. During this series, Selier earned her 15th and 16th win throwing for 16 strikeouts and allowing six hits and no runs. At bat, the Zips out hit the Bulls 17-6 through the two game series. This includes a 14 hit, .583 batting average performance by the Zips on Sunday’s game. Akron also recorded three home runs in the games. The first was the lone score of their 1-0 victory in Saturday’s game by Alyssa Nicholas in the last inning of the game and Allom and Roundabush earned their homers during Sunday’s actions against the Bulls.

For the season, the Zips are now two games behind .500 at 16-18 with a conference record of 4-5. In the standings, Akron moves up to fourth in the East Division, being a half game behind Ohio for third.

Akron’s next game will be an out of conference doubleheader scheduled for Tuesday when they visit the Penguins of Youngstown State. YSU is 12-20 for the year and has a batting average of .275 with 27 home runs. On the mound, expect Caitlyn Minney, Kayla Haslet, or Ashley Koziol who combine for 142 strikeouts, 114 walks, and 186 runs in the season.