Flashes' Bats Erupt in Saturday Sweep

Saturday, May 14

Kalamazoo, MI

11:00 AM

Kent State University

20-26, 15-17

Western Michigan University (7 Innings)

16-32, 13-20

Kent State

Western Michigan

Photo by: David Dermer

5/14/2022 7:02:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

KENT, OHIO- The Flashes erupted for 29 runs during Saturday's double header, taking both games from the Broncos winning the opener 12-8 and the nightcap 17-11.

GAME ONE: Kent State 12 Western Michigan 8

The hot bats from Friday carried over into Saturday as the Flashes hit the ground running in game one. Josh Johnson hit a first-inning grand slam, a line shot to center field to give Kent State the early lead. The lead would grow in the third as Aidan Longwell hit a solo shot and Jake Casey was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to make it 6-1

The middle of the order broke things open in the fourth with the second four-run frame of the ballgame. Longwell started the run parade with a double and Justin Miknis, Johnson and Mike McNamara all followed with run scoring hits, giving Kent State a 10-3 lead after four. The Flashes would add insurance late, including Justin Kirby's 13^th homer of the year, then held off a late Bronco rally to secure game one.

Calvin Bickerstaff worked two-plus innings of solid relief to earn the win and Max Rippl halted the Bronco rally with a four-pitch save in the seventh.

GAME TWO: Kent State 17 Western Michigan 11

For the second time in the series, every started recorded a base hit in the game two win. The Flashes again got off to a hot start, striking for three in the first off Johnson and McNamara's two-out hits. Western Michigan was even hotter, scoring five in the first and nine in the first three innings to lead 9-4 after three.

Kent State went to work in the fourth, putting together the first 10-run inning since last April. The Flashes strung six hits in the frame, all scoring runs and highlighted by Collin Mathews' three-run blast to center, giving Kent State a 14-9 lead after four innings.

Mathews and the Flashes weren't done, the senior doubled home another run in the sixth and came around to score on Miknis' two-run single in the eighth. All told, Kent State hammered out 17 hits in the win and seven of the nine starters had multi-hit games.

Collin Romel was terrific in relief, going 5.2 innings allowing five hits and two late runs while striking out seven. Brody Ware got the final four outs to clinch the Saturday sweep.

The Flashes will go for their first four-game sweep of the season tomorrow afternoon. First pitch in the finale is set for 1 p.m.