Kent State University
20-19, 8-6
Ohio University
14-25, 8-8
Kent State Long Ball Overpowers Bobcats
4/26/2019 11:47:00 PM | Baseball
ATHENS, Ohio – The Kent State University baseball team (20-19, 8-6 MAC) scored early and often, tagging three home runs in a 12-3 win over Ohio University (14-25, 8-8 MAC) at Bob Wren Stadium Friday evening. In addition to Kent State's 12 runs on 17 hits, senior Connor Wollersheim's eight-strikeout, 6.0-inning performance on the mound tamed the Bobcats in the first game of the Mid-American Conference series.
Redshirt sophomore Ben Carew, freshman Collin Mathews and senior Pavin Parks each laced home runs while the Flashes collected six additional extra-base hits on the night. Junior Cam Touchette extended his hitting streak to 11 games and led the offense, going 4-for-6 at the plate with two runs scored. Carew went 3-for-5 on the night, coming up a triple short of the cycle and tallying two runs and two RBIs, while Mathews also collected three hits with two runs and two RBIs.
Senior Kian O'Brien knocked two doubles for three RBIs and crossed the plate twice on the night. Parks and redshirt sophomore Alex Ronnebaum each added a pair of hits, combining for three RBIs and two runs scored.
Wollersheim (4-5) quieted the Ohio offense, allowing just one run on five hits while earning the win in his 11th start of the season. Freshman Max Rippl earned his first career save, finishing the game with 3.0 innings of work.
Carew led off the top of the first inning with a double smoked to left field and junior Cam Touchette followed with a single to second base. Senior Kian O'Brien collected two RBIs with a double that barely stayed fair down the left field line to give the Flashes a 2-0 lead.
Held scoreless for the next two innings, the Flashes extended the lead to 4-0 with two long balls in the top of the fourth inning. Mathews led off the inning with a solo shot off the batter's eye in center field and Carew followed just two batters later with a home run blasted over the trees beyond the wall in left field.
The Flashes poured on four additional runs in the next inning, bringing the score to 8-0. Senior Pavin Parks launched the third home run of the day to right field to start the inning. With one out, Mathews singled and stole second before eventually scoring on a sacrifice fly by Carew. Kent State then capitalized on defensive miscues by the Bobcats to add two more runs.
The Bobcats responded in the bottom of the fifth, managing its first run of the day with a two-out single. Mathews, however laced an RBI-double in the top of the sixth to bring the score to 9-1.
Ohio ripped just its fifth hit of the day in the bottom of the seventh, a two-run home run to left-center field to make it 9-3.
In the top of the eighth inning, senior Josh Hollander legged out his second triple of the season and eventually scored on a single off the bat of Ronnebaum.
The Kent State offense wasn't done yet, adding its final two runs of the game in the top of the ninth. O'Brien and Parks came up with back-to-back RBI doubles to bring the final score to 12-3.
The Flashes and the Bobcats will continue the three-game set on Saturday, April 27 at Bob Wren Stadium. The game time has been moved forward to a 1 p.m. first pitch.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Wollersheim, Connor (4-5)
L: Kutt IV (3-2)
S: Rippl, Max (1)
Batting:
2B: Carew, Ben 1 ; O'Brien, Kian 2 ; Parks, Pavin 1 ; Mathews, Collin 1
3B: Hollander, Josh 1
HR: Carew, Ben 1 ; Parks, Pavin 1 ; Mathews, Collin 1
RBI: Carew, Ben 2 ; O'Brien, Kian 3 ; Parks, Pavin 2 ; Mathews, Collin 2 ; Ronnebaum, Alex 1
SF: Carew, Ben 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Carew, Ben 2 ; Touchette, Cam 2 ; O'Brien, Kian 2 ; Parks, Pavin 1 ; Hollander, Josh 1 ; Mathews, Collin 2 ; Ronnebaum, Alex 1 ; Kirby, Justin 1
SB: O'Brien, Kian 1 ; Mathews, Collin 1
CS: Touchette, Cam 1
Batting:
2B: A. Levy 1
HR: A. Levy 1
RBI: A. Levy 2 ; M. Richardso 1
Base Running:
RUNS: T. Lukkes 1 ; A. Levy 2
HBP: A. Levy 1
