Baseball Win Streak Grows to Seven With Sweep at Buffalo
5/1/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
KENT, Ohio An offensive explosion in game two capped a doubleheader sweep by the Kent State University baseball team as the Golden Flashes extended their winning streak to seven games- and jumped right back into the thick of the Mid-American Conference playoff race- with a pair of victories at the University of Buffalo, 7-3 and 25-12, today (May 1) in Amherst, N.Y.
The two wins give the Flashes (26-14, 7-6 MAC) a sweep of the three-game series and runs the teams winning streak against Buffalo (12-24-1, 1-9-1 MAC) to 12 in a row.
Sophomore Evan Smith (Milford, Ohio/Milford) was solid in the opener, allowing just three runs on seven hits in 8.1 innings. Smith (4-3) struck out seven and did not walk a batter in winning his third straight decision.
Evan Smith was the story of this game, said first-year head coach Scott Stricklin. He was very effective throwing strikes. He had great command of the strike zone and never allowed them to get a rally going.
Kent State built a 5-1 lead after three innings. Sophomore 3B Andrew Davis (Chillicothe, Ohio/Zanes Trace) got the scoring started in the top of the first with a solo home run, his fifth of the year. After Buffalo tied it in the bottom of the first, senior OF Eric Holick (Westlake, Ohio/Westlake) delivered a two-run shot in the second and classmate Andy Hargrove (Richfield, Ohio/St. Ignatius/Oral Roberts) delivered a two-run single in the third inning.
Eric Holicks hit was key, Stricklin said. It not only put us ahead, but it got us going offensively for the remainder of the day.
Five different Flashes had at least two hits in the game. Junior DH Kurt Eichorn (Galion, Ohio/Lexington) was 3-for-5 while Davis, sophomore SS Emmanuel Burriss (Washington, D.C./Wilson), junior 2B Drew Saylor (Wadsworth, Ohio/Wadsworth/Cincinnati) and senior Chuck Moore (Cincinnati, Ohio/McNicholas) all had two hits each.
James Kingsley went 3-for-4 with two runs for Buffalo while Mike Folli had two hits. Adam Ruszkowski (4-3) lasted just three innings, surrendering five runs, all earned, on nine hits.
A decent breeze in the opener turned nearly to gale-force winds by the second game, as the two teams took advantage of the nearly 50-mph wind gusts.
The Flashes put together one of the most impressive innings in recent memory in the top of the first, scoring eight runs before an out was recorded. Eichorn and Hargrove each had a two-run double in the frame as the Flashes sent 12 batters to the plate and led 9-0 after their first turn at bat.
Hargroves first home run in a Kent State uniform, a solo shot leading off the third inning, kicked off a six-run spurt that put the Flashes ahead 15-0. However, the Bulls mounted a small rally, putting up four runs in the bottom of the third, including two on a triple by Joe Mihalics. Kingsley then hit a three-run homer in the fourth to make the score 15-7.
Kent State put up its third eight-run inning of the season in the fifth. Junior C Todd Balduf (Dublin, Ohio/Scioto) delivered a two-run single to start the scoring and Saylor finished it off with a three-run home run to put the Flashes comfortably ahead 23-7. For Saylor, it was his seventh home run on the year, tying Eichorn for the team lead.
Hargrove led the teams season-high 27-hit attack by going 4-for-7 with the home run, two doubles and three RBI. Balduf was 3-for-3 with a career-high four RBI and was one of four players with three hits: Burriss, Holick and junior CF Joe Tucker (Canton, Ohio/Canton Central Catholic). Saylor, Eichorn and Davis each had two hits as each KSU starter had at least one hit and scored at least one run.
Everyone hit in game two, Stricklin said. The win was blowing out pretty good and both teams took advantage of it. The (weather) conditions definitely played a part and made it difficult for the fielders and pushed a lot of balls deep to the fence.
Junior Jon Miller (Louisville, Ky./Ballard/Illinois) picked up the win in relief. He allowed two runs- one earned- in 2.1 innings with a walk and one strikeout to improve to a perfect 4-0 on the year. Freshman Chris Carpenter (Bryan, Ohio/Bryan) started off with two scoreless innings before running into trouble in the third and fourth. He exited after 3.2 innings in which he allowed seven runs on nine hits.
Kingsley led Buffalos attack with the home run, his ninth, and three RBI. David Amaro and Andy Wengert each went 2-for-3 for the Bulls who had 14 hits.
Matt Francavillo (0-6) got just one out, allowing nine runs- seven earned- on seven hits before giving way to the bullpen.
The Flashes will look to extend their winning streak on Tuesday night (May 3) when they travel to the University of Cincinnati for a 6:30 p.m. start. The following day, Kent State returns home to face Oakland University at 3 p.m.
GAME NOTES: In the opener, Tucker was 0-for-4, snapping his six-game hit streak but was hit by a pitch for the 14th time this season, tying his own single-season school recordâ?¦ Holicks home run was his first since 2003â?¦ Hargroves homer was also his first since 2003 when he was at Oral Robertsâ?¦ both Burris and Saylor scored four runs in game two, marking career highs for bothâ?¦ Holicks three hits in the nightcap tied a career highâ?¦ Kent State improved to 18-0 when outhitting its opponents and 16-1 when homeringâ?¦ Kent State has scored double figures 10 times this season (9-1) and have hit the 20-run plateau twice.
