Kent State University
Eastern Michigan University
Flashes Visit Ypsilanti For MAC Weekend Series
5/4/2017 11:40:00 PM | Baseball
SCHEDULE UPDATE: Friday's game is postponed due to rain. The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 1 p.m. The series finale will remain Sunday at 1 p.m.
The first place Golden Flashes (28-13, 12-3) travel to Eastern Michigan (18-27, 9-6) for a three-game conference series.
COVERAGE
• Listen live on Golden Flashes iHeart Radio
• Live stats will be available at sidearmstats.com/emu/baseball
PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS
Game One
Kent State: #31 LHP Eli Kraus (5-2, 2.71 ERA, 49 SO, 16 BB, 10 GS, 66.1 IP)
EMU: #38 RHP Sam Delaplane (2-1, 2.70 ERA, 66 SO, 23 BB, 7 GS, 56.2 IP)
Game Two
Kent State: #23 RHP Zach Willeman (5-4, 5.40 ERA, 49 SO, 24 BB, 10 GS, 53.1 IP)
EMU: #21 RHP Brad Allen (1-6, 4.05 ERA, 39 SO, 30 BB, 11 GS, 60.0 IP)
Game Three
Kent State: #30 RHP Joey Murray (5-0, 2.47 ERA, 74 SO, 24 BB, 10 GS, 51.0 IP)
EMU: #9 RHP Brent Mattson (4-2, 5.26 ERA, 41 SO, 42 BB, 11 GS, 53.0 IP)
THE MATCHUP
• Kent State is 67-43 all-time against Eastern Michigan
• The two are familiar foes after meeting six times in 2016
• In the regular season, the Flashes traveled to Ypsilanti and swept the series, winning 13-3, 4-2 and 7-3
• They then met three more times during the MAC Tournament
• Kent State took the opening game 1-0 then dropped the next meeting with EMU 5-10
• In the semifinals, the Flashes prevailed and eliminated the Eagles by a score of 4-2
• Prior to last season, the Eagles traveled to Kent and took game one before losing the series in a Sunday double header
• The Eagles are batting .248 this season while holding a combined ERA of 5.75
LATE LIFE
• The Golden Flashes have used late rallies to win their most recent games
• On Wednesday at Canisius, a three-run homerun by Brad Hamilton in the seventh inning secured an 8-5 victory
• John Matthews hit a walkoff base hit on Sunday to take a 6-5 victory and the series with Central Michigan
• Last Friday, the Flashes scored three in the seventh to make a 9-7 lead and come away with a win
SPARK PLUGS
• The one-two punch of Luke Burch and Mason Mamarella at the top of Kent State's lineup has delivered a lot of knockouts this season
• The two have the team's best batting averages for everyday players at .379 and .351, respectively
• The duo has combined for six of the team's 11 triples and they have stole a combined 24 bases
• Although it doesn't necessarily show up in the stat sheet, Burch and Mamarella have saved a lot of hits and runs as they have patrolled right and center field remarkably well all season long
• Burch has five outfield assists while Mamarella has 116 putouts and just one error
