McNamara Walks It Off for Flashes in Series Finale vs. Ball State

Monday, May 9

NOON

Kent State University

18-26, 13-17

Ball State University

32-15, 26-5

Ball State

Kent State

Photo by: Bob Christy

McNamara Walks It Off for Flashes in Series Finale vs. Ball State

5/9/2022 5:00:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

KENT, Ohio – Michael McNamara capped his return to the lineup for the Kent State baseball team on Monday with a game-winning single to the right-center gap for a 5-4 victory in the series finale against Ball State at Schoonover Stadium.

The Golden Flashes' victory gives the Cardinals just their fifth loss in Mid-American Conference play and snapped the visitors' season-best 11-game win streak.

For third game in a row, Kent State scored in the bottom of the first inning for an early advantage. The Flashes displayed patience at the plate with the first three batters reaching on walks before Justin Miknis brought in a run on a ground ball to the right side.

Rocco Bernadina had his best outing as a starter season since opening weekend, limiting Ball State's potent lineup to only three runs on five hits over 6.2 innings. Bernadina fanned three batters and kept the Cardinals off the scoreboard outside of allowing three extra base hits in the top of the second.

Kent State tied it at 3-3 in the bottom of the second on three walks, a hit batter and a groundout to first by Aidan Longwell.

Consecutive two-out singles by McNamara and Mack Timbrook put the Flashes back in front, 4-3, in the bottom of the fifth as Miknis was able to score after getting a hit earlier in the frame.

A leadoff walk and double placed the go-ahead run in scoring position in the top of the ninth, but Asher Soltis was able to retire three of the four batters he faced in relief to allow only one of two inherited runners to score.

After falling behind 0-2 to start the bottom of the ninth, Longwell sent a shot up the middle for a single. Miknis followed with a four-pitch walk, and the winning run moved 90 feet from home plate after a sac bunt by Josh Johnson. McNamara then battled, fouling off three pitches with two strikes in the count before sending the ball over the drawn-in outfield to give Kent State its fifth walk-off victory in front of the home fans this season.

It was the 11th multi-hit game for McNamara, who was the only Flash with more than one hit in the game. The team did draw 10 walks, however, as Johnson, Longwell and Mathews all reached safely three times.

Kent State improves to 18-26 on the season and 13-17 in the MAC. Ball State is now 32-15 overall and 26-5 in conference play. The Flashes sit 4.5 games out of the final MAC Tournament spot entering the final two series of the season, which begins with a trip to Western Michigan next weekend.