Baseball Blanks Bobcats in Twin Bill

Saturday, April 23

Athens, OH

1:00 PM

Kent State University

28-10, 10-3

Ohio University

17-20, 5-8

Kent State

Ohio

4/23/2016 9:17:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

ATHENS, Ohio – Kent State (29-10, 11-3) took sole possession of first place in the Mid-American Conference on Saturday as they blanked Ohio (17-21, 5-9) 6-0 and 8-0 in doubleheader action.

Game One: Kent State 6, Ohio 0

Eric Lauer was typical Eric Lauer and Joey Murray finished the game hitless on the mound to lead the Flashes to a 6-0 win in the opening game against the Bobcats.

Lauer improved to 7-2 and dropped his season ERA to a 0.81 in the victory. He went 6.2 innings with four hits, two walks and six strikeouts. Murray did not give up a hit in 2.1 innings with one walk and two strikeouts.

Offensively, the scoring got started in the 2^nd when Conner Simonetti led off the inning by reaching on an error. Dom Iero then singled and Pete Schuler brought SImonetti home on a sacrifice fly. Sam Hurt followed with a single to score Iero and advanced to third on another error. He was able to come home easily during the next at-bat on a sacrifice fly from Reilly Hawkins.

Kent State added two more runs in the 4^th when Schuler slammed the first homerun of his career, a two-run shot to center field. The final run came in the following frame when Dylan Rosa went deep to right field to tie Simonetti with a team-high ten bombs on the year.

The Flashes had just five hits in the contest scattered throughout the order. Schuler led with three RBI while Iero scored two runs.

Game Two: Kent State 8, Ohio 0

Andy Ravel kept the pitching performances at a prime as he threw a gem for the win. Tim Faix finished the game to keep the Bobcats off the scoreboard on the day.

A lone run came in the 1^st when Luke Burch led off the game with a base hit and came around later on a fielder's choice.

It remained a 1-0 game until a three-run 5^th. Burch led off again with a single and was advanced over on a sacrifice bunt by Mason Mamarella. After Zarley Zalewski walked, Rosa singled Burch home. Bases became loaded on an Alex Miklos walk later in the inning before Iero earned a RBI after being hit by a pitch. Tim DalPorto then singled to score another run.

The biggest frame of the day came in a four-run 8^th. Burch walked, Mamarella reached on an error and Zalewski singled to get things started. Simonetti then reached on a fielder's choice to score Mamarella. DalPorto came up with two-RBI after bases were loaded once again to round out the tallies.

Burch was an impressive 4-for-5 with a walk, three runs scored and a stolen base from the leadoff spot in game two. DalPorto finished 3-for-5 with a team-high three RBI. Mamarella went 2-for-3 with two walks, a sacrifice and a stolen base.

The two teams will finish out the series on Sunday in a 1 p.m. game.