Flashes Battle Rockets in Final Inter-Divisional Game
4/10/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
TOLEDO, Ohio -
• • • ON DECK: Toledo • • •
Kent, Ohio
Baseball Complex at Scott Park
Kent State (22-6, 7-1 Mid-American)
Toledo (13-15, 6-3 Mid-American)
Schedule:
Fri.: Kent State (Stillings) @ Toledo (Collop) 3 P.M.
Sat.: Kent State (Smith) @ Toledo (Kuna) 1 p.m.
Sun.: Kent State (TBA) @ Toledo (Inselmann) 1 p.m.
The First Pitch
Kent State will look to finish inter-divisional play on a high note this weekend (April 10-12) when they travel to the Glass City to take on the Toledo Rockets. The Golden Flashes currently lead the Mid-American Conference East division while Toledo is second in the MAC West.
Flash Facts
• In winning seven of eight conference games this season, KSU has out-scored its opponents 86-41.
• Freshman Andrew Chafin leads all KSU pitchers with four saves and a 1.21 ERA. He is also second with a 3-0 record.
• According to statistics compiled by the NCAA Monday (March 30), Kent State ranks in the Top 20 nationally in fielding percentage (sixth, .979) and sacrifice flies (11th with 20). Sophomore Ben Klafczynski is 47th with 12 doubles while junior Anthony Gallas is 50th in the nation individually with four sacrifice flies.
• Kent State swept Toledo last season, out-scoring them 26-12. The Flashes were .350 from the plate while Toledo was .222.
Follow the Action Live
All three games of the weekend will be broadcast live through the Kent State web site for free. Bringing you all the action from the Baseball Complex at Scott Park will be Ty Linder, who is in his second season with Kent State baseball. To listen, just go to the Kentstatesports.com web site and click on the speaker next to the game on the baseball schedule.
Live statistics of the game will also be available. To follow live stats, click on the page icon next to the game on the Kent State schedule.
The Coaches
Scott Stricklin is currently in his fifth year as head coach of the Kent State Golden Flashes. He has a career record of 162-92 and has two MAC regular season titles and a conference tournament title as head coach.
Toledo is coached by Cory Mee, who is in his sixth season with the Rockets and has an overall record of 118-174.
Last Time They Met
In 2008, Kent State played host to the Toledo Rockets. They came into the game having lost five of their first six Mid-American Conference games. With the series sweep, Kent State went on to win 16 of their last 19 conference games to claim their ninth MAC regular season title.
Brad Stillings won his first game of the season on Friday with seven strong innings of work, allowing two unearned runs and striking out six. The Golden Flashes hit four home runs in the game. Greg Rohan and Ben Klafczynski both had two-run home runs while Anthony Gallas and Jared Bartholomew both added solo home runs. Aaron Dudley added a two-run home run for the Rockets.
In Saturday's contest, Kent State scored a single run in the second through fifth inning and added another run in the seventh in a 5-2 KSU win. Gallas went 2-for-3 with two runs while Klafczynski added his second home run of the series. Dan Sherwood added a solo home run for Toledo.
In the series finale, Kent State scored four runs in the first inning and held on for the 7-5 win. Kyle Smith threw 5.1 innings, giving up three runs (two earned) and four hits over seven innings. Chris Tremblay doubled to begin the game and KSU took a two-run lead on Doug Sanders home run. Jared Humphreys added a sacrifice fly and Brett Weibley contributed an RBI single to make the score 4-0. Kent State expanded the lead to 7-0 after three, but Toledo stormed back with five runs over the next four innings. Josh Colliver added a two-run home run in the sixth and an RBI double by Dudley cut the deficit to two, but Jon Pokorny held Toledo to one hit over the final 2.1 innings for the save.
Chafin Named MAC Pitcher of Week
Freshman Andrew Chafin (Wakeman, Ohio/Western Reserve) was named the Mid-American Conference East Division Pitcher of the Week for games played March 30-April 5. Kent State went 5-0 that week and swept Northern Illinois in a key conference series at Schoonover Stadium.
For the week, Chafin went 1-0 with a save in six innings of work. Against Malone Tuesday (March 31), he threw the final three innings and struck out six. Friday (April 3) against Northern Illinois, he struck out seven batters in the final three innings for his team-leading fourth save of the year.
In 22.1 innings pitched this year, Chafin leads the team in ERA (1.21) and is second in strikeouts (34). Chafin is the fourth KSU players to earn player of the week honors this season.
Somebody Think of The Children
On May 5 for the third-straight year, rivals Kent State and Akron will play a midweek game at Canal Park in Akron, Ohio to raise money for the Akron's Children's Hospital. Tickets for the game are $10 for adults and $5 for students and can be obtained by calling either the Kent State ticket office (330-672-2244) or by calling the Akron ticket office. The Zips won the inaugural event in 2007 3-1 while Kent State rallied for a 16-15 win last season.
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