Balduf's Grand Slam Lifts Flashes Over Ohio
4/30/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
- Box Score
Athens, Ohio - Todd Balduf (Dublin, Ohio/Scioto) smashed his second grand slam of the week as Kent State (28-14, 13-5 MAC) out-slugged Ohio 15-11 Sunday afternoon (Apr. 30) at Bob Wren Stadium. Baldufs round tripper was part of a five-run eighth inning that broke an 8-8 tie.
The Bobcats (15-21, 8-10) held a 7-5 lead after six innings before the Golden Flashes ripped the Ohio bullpen for 10 runs in the final three innings.
After struggling to put runs on the board in the first two games of the series, the Flashes wasted little time putting up three runs in the first. After a Joe Tucker (Canton, Ohio/Central Catholic) walk and an Andrew Davis (Chillicothe, Ohio/Zane Trace) single, Drew Saylor (Wadsworth, Ohio/Wadsworth) bashed a three-run homer over the left field wall. Saylors team-leading 12th homer was the first of the series for either team.
The Flashes brought across two more runs in the second as Will Vazquez (Berea,Ohio/Berea) and Jason Patton (Massillon, Ohio/Perry) led off the inning with singles. Vazquez scored on a suicide squeeze from from Tucker and Patton scored on a ground ball by Davis that got by Bobcat first baseman Brandon Besl.
The Bobcats battled back with six hits the bottom of the second including four straight to lead off the inning, which brought in five runs to tie the game and shift the momentum.A triple and a sacrifice fly gave Ohio its first lead of the game in the fourth. A solo home run by cleanup hitter Willie Walker in the fifth extended the Bobcat lead to 7-5.
After four scoreless innings, the Flash bats awoke in the seventh. With one run already in and two out, Patton smashed a double into the right-center field gap to score two runs and give KSU an 8-7 lead.
In the bottom of the inning, the Bobcats loaded the base with no one out, but Dominique Rodgers (Copley, Ohio/Copley) got pinch hitter J.T. Osburn to ground into a double play and retired the next batter to limit Ohio to just one run in the inning.
With the score tied 8-8 in the eighth, Kurt Eichorn (Lexington, Ohio/Lexington) lined a single to right field to bring home the first of five runs in the frame. Balduf, who smacked a grand slam vs. Wooster on Wednesday, put one over the left field wall to give the Flashes a five-run lead.
The Bobcats came back with three runs in the eighth. Ryan Davis (Rootstown, Ohio/Southeast) took over in relief in the inning and prevented any further damage. He would hang on for his 10th save of the season and did not allow a hit.
Saylor roped an RBI single to right field and Eichorn followed with an RBI double to right to give KSU insurance in the ninth and a four-run lead.
Starting pitcher J.J. Pacella (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy) tossed five and one-third innings allowing seven runs on 10 hits. He also struck out four in the no decision. Rodgers (1-0) earned his first win of the season on the mound. He fanned three batters in two and one-third innings.
Ohio used seven different pitchers with no one lasting a full three innings.
The Golden Flashes have belted 14 or more hits in 18 different games this season.
Andrew Davis. Eichorn, and Balduf all finished with three hits. Balduf was a perfect 3-for-3 with five RBI. Saylor went 2-for-5 with four RBI and four runs scored.
The Golden Flashes return to action Tuesday, May 2, when they host Pittsburgh at Schoonover Stadium at 3:00p.m. Kent State defeated the Panthers earlier this season 14-4 on Mar. 29 in Pittsburgh.
