Kent State Edges Miami 4-2 in Pitching Duel

Friday, April 11

Kent, Ohio

6:00 PM

Kent State University

21-11, 8-2

Miami University (OH)

13-19, 4-6

Miami

Kent State

Photo by: David Dermer

Kent State Edges Miami 4-2 in Pitching Duel

4/11/2014 9:21:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

KENT, Ohio – Runs did not come easy for either team in the Friday night series-opener between Kent State and Miami, as both starting pitchers had solid outings while their defenses gave up runs.

However, Kent State was able to come out on top, taking the 4-2 victory to improve to 8-2 in the conference and 21-11 overall. The Golden Flashes are now in second place overall in the Mid-American Conference, one game out of first place. The loss drops Miami to 13-19 and 4-6 in the MAC.

Eric Lauer was unable to pick up his eighth win despite a solid performance on the mound. He went 6.2 innings before an error extended the bottom of the 7^th and eventually allowed two RedHawks runs to score, tying the game. Lauer finished with no earned runs and allowed just five hits and one walk while striking out five.

"It was another great outing by Eric Lauer," said Head Coach Jeff Duncan. "He's been phenomenal all year. He was dominating. I know the offense, the defense, everyone feels comfortable with him on the mound."

Miami's starter was able to pitch a full seven before his defense also did him in. Kent State was able to break the 2-2 tie with two runs in the 8^th. Jon Wilson singled then came all the way around the score in the next at-bat when Alex Miklos laid down a sacrifice bunt that was fielded cleanly but was thrown down the right base line for an error. With Miklos on third after the play, Justin Wagler earned an RBI with a base hit to make it a 4-2 final.

"Alex Miklos was outstanding again," Duncan said. "Him and Jon Wilson both at the top of the lineup have been a great sparkplug all year. They bring a lot of energy to the game."

The Golden Flashes took their first lead in the 3^rd on a double by Jeff Revesz and a triple by Miklos, his first of two on the night.

John Fasola earned his first win of the year in relief, throwing two-thirds of an inning where he needed just seven pitches to close out the frame. Tim Faix also pitched well in relief while Eric Dorsch was his dominant self, picking up the save with two strikeouts in the 9^th.

Miklos's two triples led the way offensively while Zarley Zalewski also stayed hot with a 2-for-4 night at the plate.

Kent State and Miami face each other again at Schoonover Stadium on Saturday night (Apr. 12) in a 6:00pm game. The game will air on Golden Flashes iHeart Radio while live stats will be available at sidearmstats.com/kent/baseball. Fans can also follow the action on Twitter @KentStBaseball.