Kent State Baseball Suffers First Conference Loss Of Season Against Toledo

KENT, Ohio -- The Kent State baseball team could not overcome a three-run first inning by visiting Toledo and suffered its first Mid-American Conference loss of the 2011 season Saturday (March 26) at Olga A. Mural Field at Schoonover Stadium.

Saturday's affair was in stark contrast to the first contest of the three-game set the day before. The Golden Flashes (11-10, 1-1 MAC) and Rockets (7-14, 1-1 MAC) combined to score eight runs on 20 hits Saturday after producing just one run on nine hits Friday (March 25) in a 1-0 Kent State win.

Toledo plated three runs in the top of the firsts sophomore left fielder Tyler Grogg drew a one-out walk and junior third baseman Joe Corfman followed by being hit by a pitch. Grogg scored on a double to right by junior first baseman Matt Delewski, and, one later, Corfman and Delewski both scored on a base hit through the right side by junior center fielder Ben Hammer.

Kent State countered with two scores in the bottom half of the frame. Redshirt junior left fielder Joe Koch (Youngstown, Ohio) led off with a single to left. Senior right fielder Ben Klafczynski (Granger Township, Ohio) followed two outs later with a base hit through the right side, and he and Koch both scored courtesy of a double to left by junior catcher David Lyon (Emporium, Pa.).

Unfortunately for Kent State, that's as close as it got. Toledo tallied single runs in both the fifth and sixth frames while the Flashes failed to take advantage of runners in scoring position in either the seventh or eighth innings.

Kent State senior left-handed starting pitcher Kyle Hallock (Sandusky, Ohio) took the pitching loss for the Golden Flashes and fell to 2-4 on the season. Hallock allowed five earned runs on nine hits and one walk. He struck out four over six innings.

Toledo junior left-handed starting pitcher Kyle Shaw earned the mound triumph to up his season record to 2-1. He allowed two earned runs while scattering eight hits and issuing two walks over 6.2 innings of work.  He fanned four. Senior righthander Matt Zahel pitched a perfect ninth inning and struck out one to earn his fifth save.

Kent State will go for the series victory Sunday (March 27) at 1 p.m. at Schoonover Stadium, sending junior southpaw David Starn (Hudson, Ohio) to the mound for the start.