Kent State University
2-2
Wofford
4-1
Big Innings Too Much for Flashes on Friday
2/24/2023 9:17:00 PM | Baseball
SPARTANBURG, SC- A pair of big innings were too much to overcome for the Golden Flashes on Friday night, dropping the series opener to the Wofford Terriers 9-6 on Friday night.
Wofford scored five in the fourth and rallied for four in the seventh on Friday night. Kent State had jumped out to a 5-0 lead, paced by the first home run of the season by Jake Casey and a pair of two-run hits from Justin Miknis and Aidan Longwell.
Ben Cruikshank got the start on Friday and escaped a runner on third in each of the first three innings without surrendering a run. However, the lefty couldn't sidestep trouble in the fourth. Cruikshank walked the bases loaded, three of his six walks on the night before a fielder's choice brought home the first run of Wofford's night, followed by a bases-clearing triple. That hit ended Cruikshank's night and exited after three-and-a-third innings, allowing five runs on four hits and six walks that were countered by six strikeouts. Calvin Bickerstaff came in and got out of the fourth and tossed two-plus solid innings of relief on Friday night.
Kent State took the lead right back in the fifth. Josh Johnson answered the Terriers' triple with one of his own, plating Miknis to give the Flashes back the lead at 6-5. It stayed that way into the seventh when the first two runners reached and chased Bickerstaff from the ballgame. A bunt single loaded the bases and Cameron Gill followed with a grand slam, his first homer of the year to give Wofford a 9-6 lead it would not relinquish. The Flashes would get runners into scoring position in both the eighth and the ninth but could not find the timely hit.
The Flashes now sit at 2-2 on the season while Wofford improves to 4-1 and are winners of four straight. The two sides will meet again on Saturday with a 2 p.m. scheduled first pitch.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Dom Marcoccio (1-0)
L: Bickerstaff, Calvin (0-1)
S: Luke Stephens (1)
Batting:
2B: Longwell, Aidan 1 ; Miknis, Justin 1 ; Casey, Jake 1
3B: Johnson, Josh 1
HR: Casey, Jake 1
RBI: Longwell, Aidan 2 ; Miknis, Justin 2 ; Johnson, Josh 1 ; Casey, Jake 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jackson, Kyle 1 ; Longwell, Aidan 1 ; Miknis, Justin 1 ; Johnson, Josh 1 ; Casey, Jake 2
CS: Mrozek, Josh 1
HBP: Longwell, Aidan 1 ; Mathews, Collin 1 ; Johnson, Josh 1 ; Mrozek, Josh 1
PO: Mrozek, Josh 1
Batting:
3B: Brice Martinez 1
HR: Cameron Gill 1
RBI: Ryan Galanie 1 ; Brice Martinez 3 ; Trey Yunger 1 ; Cameron Gill 4
SH: Trey Yunger 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Marshall Toole 1 ; Ryan Galanie 1 ; Brice Martinez 1 ; Shane Lussier 1 ; Dixon Black 1 ; Jack Renwick 1 ; Cameron Gill 1 ; David Wiley 1 ; Connor Larson 1
SB: Ryan Galanie 1 ; Brice Martinez 1 ; Trey Yunger 1 ; Dixon Black 1
CS: David Wiley 1
