Dell Helps Lead Flashes to a Saturday Split

Saturday, May 22

1:00 PM

Kent State University

25-24, 0

Western Michigan University

21-23, 0

Western Michigan

Kent State

Photo by: David Dermer

Dell Helps Lead Flashes to a Saturday Split

5/22/2021 7:49:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

KENT OHIO- The Flashes earned a split of their double header on Saturday, falling 6-5 in extra innings in game one and rebounded behind Richie Dell to win 9-2 over Western Michigan in game two.

GAME ONE: Western Michigan 6 Kent State 5 (Nine Innings)

Saturday's opener saw bonus baseball thanks to Justin Kirby. The Kent State outfield sent a blast over the left field wall in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game at four.

It stayed that way until the ninth when Western Michigan got a two-run double from Jimmy Allen to re-take a two-run lead. The Flashes nearly completed a second comeback, getting a sacrifice fly from Kirby to make it 6-5 and had the tying run at third, but couldn't bring him home.

The Broncos got on the board again in the first off Luke Albright. First baseman Sean O'Keefe hit a line drive down the right field line and just inside the foul pole for a two-run shot. It would be the first of two homers Albright gave up on Saturday as the righty allowed four runs in four innings, his shortest home start of the season. Peyton Deats threw two and two thirds innings of shutout relief and enable the Kent State comeback.

Prior to the seventh, the Flashes lone run came on a Justin Kirby single, scoring Justin Miknis. In the seventh, Miknis brought home Cam Touchette with a single, setting up Kirby's blast.

GAME TWO: Kent State 9 Western Michigan 2

Kent State scored three runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth to pull away in the Saturday night cap. Richie Dell was the beneficiary of the run support and threw six strong innings for the Golden Flashes. The right hander allowed two runs on six hits and struck out four against two walks and evened his record at 3-3.

For the third-straight game, Western Michigan scored first, pushing across a run in the second on a groundout. It stayed that way until the fourth when Ben Carew led off the game with a triple. He scored on a Cam Touchette grounder that was thrown away by Western's starter Dane Armbrustmacher, Touchette ended up on third and scored the go-ahead run on a Collin Mathews' groundout. Michael McNamara closed the first three-run inning with a solo blast to center, his fourth of the year.

After Western Michigan made it a one-run game in the top of the fifth, Kent State responded with three runs on four hits to stretch the lead to 6-2. Kyle Jackson, Touchette and Mathews all brought home runs in the inning. The Golden Flashes put the game away with three more in the sixth. Kirby and Jackson again providing the spark and leaving little doubt as to the outcome of the game. Aidan Longwell put an exclamation point on the victory by striking out the side in the seventh to seal the win.

The split puts the Flashes at 26-24 on the season and 19-16 in conference. Western Michigan sits at 21-24 overall and 20-15 in MAC play. Senior day will wrap up the weekend series on Sunday with a pre-game ceremony prior to the 1 p.m. first pitch.