Flashes Hand Central Michigan First MAC Loss
4/1/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Kent, Ohio - Senior Drew Saylor (Wadsworth, Ohio/Wadsworth) led a Kent State offense that cracked 14 hits in a 14-5 drubbing of Central Michigan Saturday afternoon (Apr. 1) at Schoonover Stadium. The Golden Flashes (12-10, 3-2 MAC) remain in a first place tie in the MAC East standings after handing the Chippewas their (14-11, 4-1) first conference loss of the season.
Sophomore Steve Ross (Wadsworth, Ohio/Hoban) and Chippewa starter Josh Collmenter appeared to be in a pitchers dual early on as the Flashes led 1-0 after three innings. However, Saylor ripped a fourth-inning double and later scored the first of 17 total runs over the next three and a half innings. The double was also the first of three extra base hits on the day for Saylor.
After the Chippewas put up a run in the fifth, Saylor sent a two-run homer over the right-center field wall to give KSU a 4-1 lead after five. CMUs Bryan Mitzel then responded with a two-bagger of his own in the top of the sixth to cut the lead to 4-3. Senior catcher Todd Balduf (Dublin, Ohio/Scioto) led off the bottom of the inning with his fourth home run of the year and the Flashes added two more to take a 6-3 lead after six.
For the second straight day in the series, a team put up seven runs in the seventh inning, but this time it was Kent States turn. A pair of hit-batsmen, a single and several Chippewa fielding mistakes led to the first four runs of the inning and a three-run blast by Saylor put the icing on the cake.
Senior Phil Bojc (Euclid, Ohio/Euclid) tossed the final two innings and allowed one run in the ninth but the MAC West leaders could not put together a rally. Ross (2-3) threw six innings, allowing three runs on six hits. He also struck out four to earn his first win since Feb. 24. Junior Ryan Davis (Rootstown, Ohio/Southeast) did not allow an earned while pitching the seventh.
Saylor finished the day 3-for-5 with game highs of two home runs, three runs scored and five RBI. He is second on the team with six long balls and 25 RBI. Senior center fielder Joe Tucker (Canton, Ohio/Central Catholic) had two hits, scored twice and drove in two.
Junior third baseman Andrew Davis (Chillicothe, Ohio/Zane Trace) went 3-for-5 with two doubles. Shortstop Emmanuel Burriss (Washington, D.C./Wilson) was 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored, an RBI and his team leading 11th stolen base of the year.
CMU pitcher Mike Kirschenheiter, who had allowed just one earned run in 11 appearances prior to Saturday, gave up four earned runs in one and a third innings.
KSU has now smacked 14 or more hits in eight of its last 19 games and 11 or more hits in 12 of those 19 games.
The Golden Flashes and Chippewas will play the rubber match of their three-game series Sunday (Apr. 2) with a 1:00p.m. start at Schoonover Stadium.
