Hallock Handcuffs as Flashes Win Rubber Match
4/11/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
YPSILANTI, Mich. - In the final game of a critical Mid-American Conference series, Kent State needed a quality Sunday start to claim the series win over Eastern Michigan. Junior Kyle Hallock more than provided what the doctor ordered.
The Southpaw threw seven scoreless innings on only three hits and three walks while striking out six as Kent State (18-16, 6-3) defeated Eastern Michigan (14-18, 5-4 MAC) 5-0 Sunday afternoon at Oestrike Stadium in Ypsilanti, Mich.
"Kyle Hallock was really good," said head coach Scott Stricklin. "He gave us seven good, shutout innings. He was a huge factor in the win."
It was a also career day for senior Anthony Gallas, who drew two free passes to become the KSU career leader in walks. He was 2-for-2 with an RBI single and his 12th double of the year. He also scored a pair of runs. His first inning, two-out RBI also tied Andrew Davis with 186 career RBI's.
"Anthony Gallas has been really consistent throughout his career," Stricklin said. "He is is on pace to have an outstanding senior season. He developed like you would hope a player would. He earned a spot in the middle of the lineup his freshman year and has been there ever since.
"It is great to see him hit in the four hole as a senior and a guy you can rely on," Stricklin added.
Junior Ben Klafczynski and sophomore Travis Shaw both went 1-for-4 with a run scored.
Kent State was able to score the first run of the ballgame in the top of the first. With two out and no runners on, Shaw doubled to center field and scored on Gallas' RBI single through the right side.
Eastern Michigan threatened in the bottom of the inning with a pair one-out walks, but Hallock was able to pitch out of the jam. He struck out Andrew Marshall in three pitches. Matt Skirving followed with a nine-pitch battle, but Hallock got him to ground out to short to end the inning.
The Eagles again threatened in the third, but a key outfield assist by Gallas kept the home team scoreless. Bo Kinder led off the inning with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Todd Graves followed with a single through the left side, but Gallas threw to sophomore catcher David Lyon to gun down Kinder at the plate.
Off the momentum of the bottom of the third, the Golden Flashes tallied a pair of runs. Gallas and sophomore Kyle McMillen walked before Lyon singled through the right side to drive in Gallas while McMillen advanced to third. Klafczynski grounded into a double play, but McMillen scored the third run of the game.
Hallock was able to get in a groove as the game went on. In the final four innings of the contest, he faced the minimum number of hitters and allowed only one walk.
A pair of sacrifice flies in the seventh and eighth put Kent State up 5-0. McMillen threw a scoreless eighth and ninth on one hit to close out the ballgame.
"It was important to score those runs" Stricklin said. "We laid down a couple of bunts today and had a couple of guys have good at-bats. We had sacrifice flies by Jimmy Rider and David Lyon, both of whom had great at-bats to get runs in. You always want big hits, but we were pitching very well so we just wanted to score a couple more runs."
Kent State returns to action Wednesday (April 14) when it travels to Avon, Ohio to take on Cleveland State. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
