Flashes to Open Cardinal Classic Friday vs. Cal
3/8/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
The Kent State University baseball team will take momentum from Sunday's 8-1 victory over Temple University into this weekend at the Cardinal Baseball Classic in Louisville, Ky. (Mar. 9-11). The Golden Flashes are scheduled to face off with the University of California, Indiana State University and the host University of Louisville in the three-day event at Patterson Stadium.
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Kent State Rotation
Senior J.J. Pacella will begin the weekend for the Flashes against California. Pacella has logged a team-high 15.2 innings this season and carries a 12-3 record in 26 career starts. He went a span of nine straight innings in his first three games without allowing an earned run. Freshman Kyle Smith will get the nod vs. Indiana State on Saturday. Smith allowed just one run over eight innings in his first two appearances before having a rough outing at Winthrop. Junior Evan Smith will throw against the host Cardinals on Sunday. After suffering a season-ending injury early last year, Smith has been nearly flawless in 2007. The right-hander has allowed just five hits and no earned runs in nine innings pitched.
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Opponent Starters
Cal ace Tyson Ross is scheduled to pitch against the Flashes on Friday. Ross (1-3) owns the best ERA among Bear starters at 2.02, but has not received much run support in five starts. Last weekend at Stanford, Ross allowed one run and fanned eight in eight innings against the Cardinal but suffered the loss. Sunday Louisville is expected to send freshman Justin Marks (0-1, 3.60) to the hill. The rookie has struck out 14 batters in 15 innings and has walked just five.
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Series History
Friday will be the first meeting between Kent State and California and will be just the third time the Golden Flashes have faced a PAC-10 opponent. KSU will also have its inaugural matchup with Indiana State this weekend. The Flashes will be taking on Louisville for the 18th time on Sunday. Most recently, Louisville took two-of-three games from Kent State to open the 2005 season. Chris Carpenter was the winning picher in the Flashes' 8-3 victory over the Cardinals in '05.
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Scouting California
The Golden Bears (7-10) are hitting .303 on the year led by freshman Jeff Kobernus. In 16 starts Kobernus is hitting .431 with 12 runs scored and seven RBI. He also has a team-leading four stolen bases. Sophomore first baseman David Cooper has provided plenty of power for Cal this year. Cooper is batting .368 with five doubles, four round-trippers and 20 runs batted in. Shortstop Brett Munster (.339, 4 doubles, 8 RBI) and left fielder Ryan Hanlon (.323, 2 HRs, 13 runs) have both started in all 17 games and have put up solid offensive numbers. Sophomore right-hander Matt Gorgen has struck out 19 and made two saves in seven relief appearances. Freshman southpaw Mike Cassady has not allowed an earned run in three appearances out of the bullpen.
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Scouting Indiana State
The Sycamores (5-2) have allowed just 19 runs in seven games this year. The top three ISU starters have permitted just nine runs in 36 innings pitched. Adam Lindsay has a pair of saves in four relief appearances. Chris Schmidt is hitting .563 in five games played with one home run and four RBI. Three other Sycamores are hitting over .340 including Casey Martin, who is 8-for-20 (.400) with five runs batted in. Indiana State is coming off of a 5-3 Tuesday afternoon win over rival Indiana. The Sycamores took two-of-three games from both Georgia State and South Dakota State.
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Scouting Louisville
The Cardinals (7-5) have won four of their last five games including a 4-1 victory over Western Kentucky on Wednesday. Center fielder and leadoff hitter Boomer Whiting has been a thorn in opponents' sides all season. Whiting leads the team in hitting (.457), runs scored (14), on-base percentage (.568) and stolen bases (19). Left fielder Isaiah Howes is batting .405 with five doubles, three homers and seven RBI. Senior Daniel Burton has a team best 19 hits (.365) with one home run and seven RBI. Senior Trystan Magnuson has been nearly untouchable in seven appearances out of the bullpen. Magnuson has not surrendered a run in 12.2 innings, allowing just five hits. Kyle Hollander and Gavin Logsdon have combined for 13.2 scoreless innings of relief. A well-balanced team, Louisville is hitting .311, with 34 stolen bases, an ERA of 3.06 and a .972 fielding percentage.
Winthrop Woes
The Golden Flashes dropped three straight games at Winthrop University's Coca Cola Classic last weekend before knocking off Temple on Sunday. Kent State out-hit East Tennessee State 7-5 in the weekend opener but could not push a run across in a 2-0 loss. The Flashes committed seven errors over their next two games falling to both Winthrop (9-1) and The Citadel (13-9).
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Freshman Outfielders Leading the Offense
Jared Bartholomew and Anthony Gallas, a pair of freshman outfieders. are the top two hitters in the KSU lineup after three weeks. Bartholomew leads the squad in batting average (.378), hits (14), on-base percentage (.452) and slugging percentage (.514). Gallas is hitting .333 with a home run and four RBI.
Coca Cola Classic Highlights
Despite a 1-3 finish at the Coca Cola Classic in Rock Hill, S.C., several Golden Flashes had strong individual performances. Evan Smith claimed his first win of the season by hurling five innings without allowing an earned run against Temple. Reid Lamport did not allow a run in two relief appearances, surrendering just one hit in 3.1 innings pitched. Jason Seelman did not allow a run in 2.1 innings thrown against the Citadel. In a promsing sign for the future, Chris Carpenter made his first pitching appearance since 2004. Carpenter retired all three Temple hitters he faced and struck out one.
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Freshman Anthony Gallas went 7-for-16 (.438) at the plate in the Coca Classic with a double, a home run and three RBI. Center fielder Jared Bartholomew also hit smacked his first collegiate home run this past weekend. Bartholomew hit .429 (6-of-14) with three walks, five runs scored and four RBI. Greg Rohan belted his first homer of the year and drove in four.
Up Next
Kent State will head to Hattiesburg, Miss. for its last of five straight weekend trips to the South. The Golden Eagles of Southern Mississippi will host the Flashes in a three-game series Mar. 16-18.
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