Kent State University
24-10, 0
Ohio
17-20, 0
Murray Mesmerizes Again
4/20/2018 7:06:00 PM | Baseball
Righty fans 14 more as KSU cruises to eighth straight win
KENT, OHIO – Joey Murray flirted with a no-hitter and struck out 14 Ohio hitters as the Golden Flashes knocked off the Bobcats 5-3 in a series-opening win that was hardly that close.
KSU cruised to a 5-0 lead through eight innings thanks to the sensational right-hander. A week after locking down Northern Illinois to the tune of 15 strikeouts, Murray flirted with a no-hitter and then a one-hitter before leaving in the ninth. He has now fanned at least 13 hitters in three of his last four starts.
Offensively, KSU broke out it front on a two-out, two-strike, two-run first inning homer by Pavin Parks. He drove the 0-2 pitch deep over the wall in right to give the Golden Flashes the early lead. They've now outscored the opposition 35-7 in the first inning this year.
The local nine added single tallies in the third, fifth and sixth on RBIs by Tim DalPorto and Nick Kanavas. KSU improved to 22-2 on the year when scoring at least three runs and moved to 21-0 when leading after seven. Kent State picked up its 17th win over OU in the last 24 meetings. Coupled with NIU's win over Miami, the Golden Flashes now have a two-game lead in the league.
The series will continue on Saturday at 4 p.m. when Connor Wollersheim faces off against Gerry Salisbury.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Murray, Joey (6-1)
L: CARR, Derek (1-1)
Batting:
3B: ROTT, Rudy 1 ; KLEIN, Michael 1
SH: HAFNER, Trevor 1
Base Running:
RUNS: MCCAULEY,Dan 1 ; PIECHNICK, Tanner 1 ; KLEIN, Michael 1
CS: KLEIN, Michael 1
HBP: KLEIN, Michael 1
Batting:
2B: Kanavas, Nick 1
3B: Lewandoski, Greg 1
HR: Parks, Pavin 1
RBI: Kanavas, Nick 2 ; DalPorto, Tim 1 ; Parks, Pavin 2
SH: Mamarella, Mason 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kanavas, Nick 1 ; Mamarella, Mason 1 ; Parks, Pavin 1 ; Hawkins, Reilly 1 ; Lewandoski, Greg 1
SB: Mamarella, Mason 1 ; Parks, Pavin 1
