Three-Run 8th Sends Flashes to Tournament Title Game

Saturday, May 28

Avon, OH

8:00 PM

Kent State University

44-13

Eastern Michigan University

23-36

Eastern Michigan

Kent State

Three-Run 8th Sends Flashes to Tournament Title Game

5/29/2016 1:52:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

AVON, Ohio – Freshman Joey Murray stepped up onto a big stage Saturday night and he did not disappoint, hurling an absolute gem to help Kent State (44-13) advance to the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship game after a 4-2 victory against Eastern Michigan (23-36).

Murray went eight innings with one earned run, three hits and no walks while striking out 11 batters. Zach Willeman completed the save, his 14^th of the season, by walking one and striking out two in the 9^th.

The Flashes jumped out ahead early as Luke Burch started the Kent State offense with a double down the left field line. He then moved to third and scored on a pair of errors.

Scoring stalled until the 6^th when the Eagles tied the game on a solo shot. They then took the lead in the 7^th after the first batter reached on an error and came home later on a single and another error.

That lead was short-lived, however, as Kent State came soaring back with a three-run 8^th inning to clinch the victory. It started with a solo shot by Conner Simonetti, his third homerun of the tournament. The momentum continued after Zarley Zalewski walked and made his way to second on a wild pitch. Jacob Neuschaefer entered the game as a pinch runner and scored the go-ahead run on a Dom Iero double. A Josh Hollander base hit later on scored Iero, making it a 4-2 game.

The Flashes' eight hits were scattered throughout the lineup with Simonetti, Iero and Burch all getting one for extra-bases.

Kent State will now vie for the MAC Tournament title when it faces No. 7 Western Michigan in a 1:30 p.m. game on Sunday.