Kent State University
University of Pittsburgh
Golden Flashes Wrap Up Four-Game Homestand with Pitt
4/16/2019 1:12:00โฏPM | Baseball
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KENT, Ohio โย The Kent State University baseball team is scheduled to wrap up its four-game homeย stand, hosting Pitt at Schoonover Stadium Wednesday, April 17 at 6 p.m. The Flashes will go for a home-and-home series sweep as they defeated the Panthers in Pittsburgh March 20.
Wednesday's matchup will round out Kent State's schedule of Power Five opponents for the regular season. The Flashes are 5-4 against the Power Five and 4-0 against the Big Ten, earning wins over Indiana, Michigan State, Northwestern (twice) and Pitt.ย
Kent State is coming off its second Mid-American Conference series win, taking two games from Central Michigan last weekend. The Flashes banged out 36 hits and 26 runs with 13 extra-base hits, including seven home runs, in three games.
Freshman Justin Kirby had a standout weekend, going 7-for-9 at the plate with two home runs, a triple and two doubles. In a twin bill on Saturday, the Alpharetta, Ga. native launched a home run in each game and was just a single short of the cycle in the night cap. In MAC games, Kirby ranks first in the conference with doubles (7), second in batting average (.474), third in slugging percentage (.868), sixth in hits (18) and seventh in on-base percentage (.535).
On the season, redshirt sophomore Ben Carew continues to lead the Flashes from his leadoff spot in the lineup with a .380 average, 49 hits, .452 on-base percentage, and 16 stolen bases. He currently stands in fourth in the MAC in both batting average and stolen bases, seventh in hits and ninth in on-base percentage.
Pitt
Pitt is set to host Youngstown State at Charles L. Cost Field Tuesday afternoon before hitting the road to Northeast Ohio. The Panthers are currently 10-24 overall and 3-15 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, most recently earning an 8-3 win over ACC opponent Wake Forest in the first of a three-game set on Friday.
The Panthers have only been shut out once this season - a 2-0 loss at Duke April 6 - and have tallied 166 runs while averaging more than eight hits a game. The Panthers have posted a .253 team batting average and have notched 90 extra-base hits this season, including 21 long balls.
The Pitt pitching staff has held opponents to a .284 average, shutting out both Hofstra and Virginia Tech. The battery has fanned 317 batters, but has allowed 106 extra-base hits, 156 walks and 30 hit batters.
Wednesday will mark the 70thย time the two programs will meet, with the Flashes leading the all-time series 43-26. In the teams' last meeting on March 20, the Flashes earned a 6-4 victory with redshirt freshman Peyton Deats earning the win on the mound. Kent State did not take the lead until the offense picked up three runs in the top of the sixth inning and went on to add a run in each of the seventh and eighth innings. Senior Pete Schuler led the team with two of Kent State's eight hits, while Kirby came around to score twice on the day. Senior Kian O'Brien knocked his first home run of the season in the eighth inning to round out the day.
The 2019 Kent State Baseball Season is brought to you by Hometown Bank. Hometown Bank and Kent State Baseball โ A Winning Team. There's no place like home.
