Kent State University
20-20, 0
University of Akron
10-29, 0
Flashes Celebrate Graduation In Dominant Fashion
5/7/2021 7:58:00 PM | Baseball
KENT, OHIO- Collin Mathews hit a grand slam down the right field line, capping a seven-run seventh inning and invoking the run rule in a 13-3 victory on graduation Friday.
Mathews drove a 1-2 pitch and hooked it inside the foul pole for the walk-off shot. That blast capped off the opener of the annual Wagon Wheel series and a 3-for-5 night at the plate for the center fielder.
The night started with seven Golden Flash student-athletes celebrating their graduation in a pre-game ceremony. Six student-athletes earned their undergraduate degree with Ben Carew earning his Master's this season. Carew took that momentum into his first at-bat of the night, a solo shot to left field to start the scoring. Kent State added single tallies again in the third and the fourth on the back of a Mathews single and a Kirby double in the fourth to lead 3-0.
The Zips scored an unearned run in the fifth, capitalizing on a throwing error to get on the scoreboard. Akron got two more in the sixth on a pair of run-scoring ground outs and pulled within one at 4-3. Friday night starter Collin Romel was able to limit the damage in that pivotal sixth inning, getting a groundout to end the frame. The lefty went all seven innings for his third win of the season, he scattered five hits, walked four and struck out four.
The offense kicked it into high gear over their final two trips to the plate. Eric Wentz gave Romel some insurance as he singled home Justin Kirby to make it 5-3 and Kyle Jackson came home a moment later on a balk to make it a three-run game again. In the seventh, the Flashes scored on a single, wild pitch and sac fly before Mathews sent everyone home early with his fifth homer of the season.
The Flashes once again evened their record on the season and sit at 20-20 overall and 13-12 in the MAC. Akron falls to 10-29 overall and 4-25 in conference play. The two teams will meet for a pair of seven-inning games tomorrow afternoon, first pitch is set for 1 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Romel, Collin (3-6)
L: FETT, A. (0-4)
Batting:
RBI: BARR, Justin 1 ; REGAN, C. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: REINHART, J. 1 ; GOULET, Brad 1 ; TILLY, Cam. 1
Batting:
2B: Jackson, Kyle 1 ; Kirby, Justin 1
HR: Carew, Ben 1 ; Mathews, Collin 1
RBI: Jackson, Kyle 1 ; Wentz, Eric 1 ; Carew, Ben 1 ; Mathews, Collin 5 ; McNamara, Michael 1 ; Kirby, Justin 2
SH: Jackson, Kyle 1
SF: Jackson, Kyle 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jackson, Kyle 2 ; Wentz, Eric 1 ; Carew, Ben 2 ; Mathews, Collin 1 ; Touchette, Cam 1 ; McNamara, Michael 2 ; Thompson, Sam 1 ; Dobos, Kevin 1 ; Kirby, Justin 2
SB: Jackson, Kyle 1 ; Mathews, Collin 1
CS: Jackson, Kyle 1 ; Carew, Ben 1
