Shaw's Double In 10th Pushes Kent State Baseball Past Western Michigan
4/1/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Junior third baseman Travis Shaw (Granger Township, Ohio) smacked a two-out RBI double in the top of the 10th inning, and senior right-handed closer Justin Gill (Canton, Ohio) sat down the side in the bottom half to seal a 3-2 Mid-American Conference extra innings win for Kent State over host Western Michigan Friday (April 1) at Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field.
"It speaks about our entire team," said seventh-year head coach Scott Stricklin. "It was a big win for us because we overcame the adversity that hit us and responded with a win."
Freshman designated hitter T.J. Sutton (Uniontown, Ohio) led the Golden Flashes (13-10, 3-1 MAC) at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI. Senior right fielder Ben Klafczynski (Granger Township, Ohio) added two base hits to the cause.
Gill earned his first mound triumph of the year after entering the game with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth. Gill posted a strikeout to get Kent State out of the jam, then worked 2.1 frames. He finished the contest allowing two hits and an unearned run while striking out two. Redshirt sophomore southpaw Andrew Chafin (Wakeman, Ohio) started on the hill for the Flashes and scattered seven hits and fanned seven over 7.2 innings of work while allowing one earned run and three walks.
"That was a big out for us," said Stricklin of the final out of the eighth inning. "Justin is a senior and he's been there before, and that's why we put him out there in those types of situations. He threw a 3-2 slider with the bases loaded, and it takes a lot of guts to do that."
Redshirt junior left fielder Joe Koch (Youngstown, Ohio) led the contest off with a single to center and later scored on a two-out base hit to right by Klafczynski to give Kent State an early 1-0 advantage.
The Flashes extended their lead to 2-0 in the fourth. Junior catcher David Lyon (Emporium, Pa.) slapped a one-out single through the right side, then scored on a double down the right field line by Sutton.
Western Michigan (13-13, 3-1 MAC) cut into the lead when junior third baseman Ryan McMillin cracked a leadoff single through the left side and later scored courtesy of a sacrifice fly to right that was served up by redshirt junior first baseman Troy Forton.
Neither squad blinked for the next four and a half innings, but the Broncos took advantage of a Kent State miscue in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extras. Sophomore shortstop Patrick Duncan led off the frame with a single, but the Flashes forced Western Michigan to its final out. A fielding error prevented Kent State from closing out the win, though, and sophomore left fielder Jimmy Martinez capitalized with an RBI base hit through the left side to plate Duncan and even the contest at two-all.
The Broncos might have won the game in regulation play had it not been for an outstanding defensive effort by sophomore center fielder Evan Campbell (Beloit, Ohio) on the ensuing at-bat. Western Michigan redshirt junior second baseman Zach Thoma lifted a fly ball deep into center, but Campbell climbed on his horse and made a spectacular over-the-shoulder catch to end the inning.
"It was a relief when he caught it," said Stricklin. "With the wind blowing out the way it was, that's the toughest catch to make. If he doesn't catch it, the game is over."
The Flashes used the momentum of Campbell's defensive effort to their advantage in the top of the 10th. Junior shortstop Jimmy Rider (Venetia, Pa.) smacked a two-out single to left, setting the table for Shaw's game winning RBI. The junior third baseman was 0-for-4 going into the at-bat but rose to the challenge with the poise of a veteran.
"It's a tough game. Sometimes you get a tough hop or a bad call, and you just have to overcome it," said Stricklin. "Jimmy did that and put us in a position to win the game."
Western Michigan redshirt junior righty Brian Stroud was saddled with the pitching defeat, allowing one earned run on three hits and a walk in three innings of relief duty. Duncan led the Broncos offensively with three singles.
Due to a projected deteriorating forecast in Kalamazoo, Mich., the Golden Flashes and Broncos will close the series with a doubleheader Saturday (April 2), with the first game beginning at noon. Â Senior lefty Kyle Hallock (Sandusky, Ohio) takes the ball for Kent State in the first game while junior southpaw David Starn (Hudson, Ohio) earns the starting nod on the hill in the second.
