Oh, For Pete’s Sake!

Saturday, June 2

Lubbock, Texas

3:00/2:00C

Kent State University

40-17

New Mexico State

40-22

New Mexico State

Kent State

Photo by: Elizabeth Hertel

6/2/2018 7:27:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Flashes catcher slugs dramatic 8th-inning homer to keep KSU alive

By: Ty Linder

Oh, For Pete's Sake!

Flashes catcher slugs dramatic 8^th-inning homer to keep KSU alive

LUBBOCK, TEXAS – Kent State was down to its final five outs and facing New Mexico State's closer. Then, the man who has been red-hot for them in the season's final 11 games rescued the Golden Flashes with one clutch swing.

Pete Schuler took one effortless cut at closer Brock Whittlesey's first offering and the ball soared into flight. Right fielder Logan Ehnes, who twice had robbed KSU hitters with diving grabs, took one step back and stopped as the ball sailed majestically over the wall. Before it even landed, the Flashes' dugout broke out in delirious celebration. Up until that point, NMSU held a 1-0 lead in the eighth.

The dramatic two-run homer gave KSU a 2-1 lead. Freshman closer Collin Romel then pitched around two base-runners in the ninth to preserve the lead, and Kent State's 40^th victory. It is the first win for a Mid-American Conference team at the NCAA level since Kent's 5-4 shocker over top-ranked Florida in 2012.

"Pete has been a tremendous force for us, and I am so proud of him," head coach Jeff Duncan said. "He has become a great player for us."

To Duncan's point, Schuler is hitting .400 over the last 11 games, dating back to May 12. He has eight extra base hits, 19 runs batted in and two home runs – both here in this Lubbock Regional. Yesterday he smacked a three-run shot to left against Louisville.

The heroics were made necessary thanks to a tremendous pitching duel between the Aggies' Kyle Bradish and KSU's Jared Skolnicki. And even when Skolnicki departed after working brilliantly into the sixth, John Matthews simply took the baton. Matthews tossed nearly three innings of hitless relief, striking out two.

The Flashes' arms received ample help from the KSU defense. The Golden Flashes cut down a runner at the plate in the second, turned a clutch double play in the third and then got a game-saving play from Michael Turner in the sixth. With a run already in, Turner dove headlong toward the line on a screaming one-hop shot, made the stop and ran to the bag to get an out and take away an RBI double.

"When we started this season, we talked about defense and improving in that category. The defense we played today was just tremendous," Duncan said.

KSU now awaits the loser of Saturday night's winner's bracket final between Texas Tech and Louisville. The Flashes will battle the loser tomorrow at 3/2c in a Regional Semi-final match-up. Kent State is 40-17 on the season.