Kinyon, Sega Lead Baseball Past UNC Wilmington, 10-5
3/20/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Starter Jason Brunke (Jr., Carroll Stream, Ill./Glenbard North) picked up the win for Kent State, improving his record to 2-2. Brunke scattered eight hits over 5.1 innings of work, giving up three runs, two strikeouts and one walk.
Kent State did a bulk of its damage in the top half of the fifth and seventh innings. In the fifth KSU scored three runs on four hits, highlighted by two-out RBI single through the right side of the infield by Kurt Eichorn (So., Galion, Ohio/Lexington). Eichorns single drove home Joe Tucker (So., Canton, Ohio/Central Catholic) and Andrew Davis (Fr., Chillicothe, Ohio/Zane Trace) from second and third after the two reached safely on consecutive singles earlier in the inning. After the Seahawks went to the bullpen to try and cool the Flashes bats off, Eichorn immediately scored the third run of the inning courtesy of a Ben Whitney (Jr., Akron, Ohio/St. Vincent-St. Mary) single to right to give KSU a 6-1 advantage after 4 1/2 innings.
UNCW would cut into the lead with a run in the bottom of the fifth, but Kent State answered right back in the top of the sixth on an RBI single by Davis, scoring Todd Balduf (So., Dublin, Ohio/Scioto) from second, making the score 7-2. The Seahawks would then make the score 7-3 in the bottom of the sixth after a Matt Poulk double down the left field line scored Neal Eichhorn from third.
Kent State added another three runs in the top of the seventh. After Tucker led off with a single to center field, Kinyon hammered his sixth home run of the season and his second of the game to give KSU a 9-3 lead. The Flashes werent done there as Sega followed with a solo shot to right field, blowing the game wide open and giving Kent State a commanding 10-3 lead.
The Seahawks would manage single runs in both the bottom of the seventh and eighth, but it was too little too late as they could not overcome the Flashes offensive onslaught.
Kent State got on the board right away in the top of the first, highlighted by a two-out single to left field off the bat of Sega. The Flashes did all of their damage with two outs after Davis and Tucker grounded out to start the inning. Kinyon got things going with a single to right before advancing to third following another single off the bat of Eichorn. Sega then singled to left scoring Kinyon and Eichorn to give the Flashes a 2-0 lead after one.
Kent State would add another run in the top of the third when Kinyon blasted his fifth home run of the season over the right field wall, making the advantage 3-0 in favor of the Flashes.
Brunke and the Flashes got out of a jam in the bottom of the third. With the bases juiced and two outs, Brunke got Brad Denson to ground into and inning ending fielders choice, preserving KSUs 3-0 lead.
The Seahawks finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth with one run after Matt Poulk singled to left field, scoring Jonathan Batts who reached on a double down the left field line two batters prior.
