Flashes Shut Down by Patriots in Season Opener

Friday, February 15

Dallas, TX

7:30 p.m./6:30 CST

Kent State University

0-1

Dallas Baptist University

1-0

Kent State

DBU

Flashes Shut Down by Patriots in Season Opener

2/15/2019 11:36:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

DALLAS, Texas –The Kent State baseball team (0-1) opened the 2019 season with a 3-0 loss to Dallas Baptist (1-0) Friday evening, as the Flashes struggled to get the bats started at Horner Ballpark in Dallas, Texas. Senior Connor Wollersheim started on the bump for the Flashes pitching 5.0 innings, striking out six and allowing three hits and four walks.

Against an offense that averaged 10.3 hits per game last season, the Kent State pitching staff tallied nine strikeouts and held Dallas Baptist to just four hits. Coming off a 42-21 season and its seventh postseason appearance in eight years in 2018, Dallas Baptist managed only three unearned runs off of Kent State pitching and did not record a hit with a runner in scoring position. The Kent State battery stranded seven runners, despite the Patriots leading off seven-of-eight innings with a runner on base.

Wollersheim started on the hill for the Flashes and worked his way out of early offensive threats, pitching three scoreless innings in the loss. He ended his night striking out the side in the fifth. Junior Zach Schultz entered the game out of the bullpen in the sixth and picked up two strikeouts in his first inning of work. Pittman closed the game with 1.0 inning pitched and one strikeout. Behind the plate, senior Pete Schuler caught two baserunners stealing, including one in the bottom of the first inning.

The Patriots' runs came in the fourth, scoring two runs on two errors, and in the seventh, adding a run on defensive miscues.

"Wollersheim threw well and his breaking ball was sharp," head coach Jeff Duncan said, "Pittman and Schultz threw the ball well too. Four errors is uncharacteristic for our defense, but that will get better as we continue to play outdoors. We were a little anxious early offensively, but we hit some balls hard. We will get better as we go. We learned a lot tonight!"

Offensively, the Flashes totaled two hits and three walks on the night. Junior Cam Touchette picked up the first hit of the season with a sharp ground ball to short stop in the top of the sixth and senior Josh Hollander added a hit in the top of the ninth. Sophomore Nick Elsen reached base twice on two walks.

The Flashes will square off against the Patriots in the second game of the series Saturday at Horner Ballpark at 3:00 p.m. EST. The final game scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 17 has been moved up an hour and will be played at 1:00 p.m. EST.

The 2019 Kent State Baseball Season is brought to you by Hometown Bank. Hometown Bank and Kent State Baseball – A Winning Team. There's no place like home.