Golden Flashes Drop Sunday Double Header
4/21/2013 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
AMHERST, N.Y. – Kent State (19-19, 9-6) could not get anything going on Sunday, resulting in two losses at Buffalo (21-16, 11-4), both by one run. Kent State left 18 men on base in the two games.
The Bulls now have sole possession of first place in the Mid-American Conference East Division. Kent State and Miami are tied in second, with Kent State taking the tie-breaker. Northern Illinois is in first place overall with an 11-4 conference record.
Game one looked to go either way, but Buffalo came out the 4-3 victor. After Buffalo took a 1-0 lead after the first inning, Kent State answered with a run in the second after Jason Bagoly doubled, moved to third on a fly ball and scored on a single by Alex Miklos.
The Golden Flashes took a 2-1 lead in the fourth when Miklos got in scoring position after he reached on a fielder's choice and advanced all the way to third on a errant throw on a pickoff attempt by the Buffalo pitcher. Miklos then scored when T.J. Sutton put a ball into play and reached on another Bulls error.
The lead did not last long, however, as Buffalo scored two runs in the fifth to go up 3-2. Kent State was able to answer once again with the help of Buffalo mistakes. In the sixth, Tommy Monnot led off the inning with a double and came home when Sutton reached on another error.
The 3-3 tie lasted until the eighth when a double and sacrifice fly gave the Bulls the winning run.
Tyler Skulina went six innings in the start, allowing seven hits, three runs (two earned), two walks and four strikeouts. Dan Kopcak (0-2) got the loss in two innings of work with two hits, one run, one walk and three strikeouts.
Sawyer Polen and Bagoly each went 2-for-5 with a double. Miklos and Sutton each had a RBI, sacrifice and stolen base.
Game two remained scoreless until Buffalo took a lead in the fifth on base hits and added another run in the sixth on a double. Kent State was able to add two runs in the ninth on a two RBI single by Zarley Zalewski, but it was all they could muster in their final inning.
Casey Wilson threw seven innings in the start with eight hits, three runs (two earned), no walks and five strikeouts. Josh Pierce worked a scoreless inning with no hits and one strikeout.
Sutton was the only Golden Flash with more than one hit in the second game. He finished 2-for-4.
Kent State faces Youngstown State in a midweek double header matchup on Tuesday (Apr. 23) beginning at 4:00pm. The double header will consist of two seven-inning games. MAC play continues next weekend as the Golden Flashes play host to Bowling Green.
