Kent State University
17-20, 0
University of Akron (7 Innings)
11-31, 0
Flashes Hot Bats Continue, But Settle For Saturday Split
4/30/2022 7:12:00 PM | Baseball
KENT, OHIO- Kent State erupted for 25 runs in the two games on Saturday, but settled for a split, winning game one 17-2 and losing a wild 9-8 game two.
GAME ONE: Kent State 17 Akron 2
The Flashes kept the long ball theme going, hitting seven in Saturday's opener. That is a program record and gave Kent State 17 homers over the last three games. Justin Kirby, Josh Johnson and Collin Mathews all homered as part of a five-run first and Kent State never looked back. The Flashes tacked on three more in the second and five more in the third to blow the game open.
Every starter had at least one hit as Kent State knocked out 19 hits in the game one win. Justin Kirby led the offense with six driven in, highlighted by a pair of homers while Mathews added four rbi. Ben Cruikshank got the win, tossing five solid innings of three-hit, one-run ball while striking out five. Brody Ware and Asher Soltis closed things out for the victory.
GAME TWO: Akron 9 Kent State 8
The Zips jumped out to a 3-0 lead early in game two. Kent State got one back in the second on a Payton Pennington run-scoring single and another in the fourth on a rbi single from Mack Timbrook. The Flashes had chances but couldn't draw even until the ninth as Akron built out a 6-2 lead heading into the final inning.
Kent State stormed back in the ninth, getting six straight hits capped by a ground-rule double from Justin Miknis to tie the game at six. Two batters later, Sam Thompson singled up the middle to give the Flashes their first lead of the game at 8-6. But the Zips made the most of their last at-bat, cracking two homers including the game winning two-run shot from Michael Sprockett.
The split moves Kent State to 17-21 on the season and sit 12-13 in MAC play. The game one victory secured at least a half point in the Crystal Clinic Wagon Wheel series and at least a share of the season-long crown for Kent State. The Flashes can clinch the Wheel outright with a series victory tomorrow. First pitch from Skeeles Field is set for noon.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Cruikshank, Ben (2-2)
L: Anthony Fett (0-8)
Batting:
2B: Pennington, Payton 1 ; Timbrook, Mack 1 ; Longwell, Aidan 1 ; Mathews, Collin 1 ; Elsen, Nick 1
HR: Kirby, Justin 2 ; Longwell, Aidan 1 ; Casey, Jake 1 ; Johnson, Josh 1 ; Mathews, Collin 1 ; Miknis, Justin 1
RBI: Timbrook, Mack 1 ; Kirby, Justin 6 ; Longwell, Aidan 2 ; Casey, Jake 1 ; Johnson, Josh 1 ; Mathews, Collin 4 ; Miknis, Justin 2
SH: Pennington, Payton 1
SF: Kirby, Justin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Pennington, Payton 1 ; Timbrook, Mack 3 ; Kirby, Justin 3 ; Longwell, Aidan 2 ; Casey, Jake 1 ; Johnson, Josh 2 ; Mathews, Collin 2 ; Miknis, Justin 1 ; Ashby, Connor 2
HBP: Pennington, Payton 1 ; Johnson, Josh 1
Batting:
2B: Bryant Shellenbarger 1
HR: Bryant Shellenbarger 1
RBI: Bryant Shellenbarger 1 ; Kaito Hara 1
SF: Kaito Hara 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bryant Shellenbarger 2
HBP: Breydan Cavey 1 ; Jackson Haas 1 ; Michael Sprockett 1
