Kent State Falls 4-3 to #13 Tennessee in Series Opener

Friday, February 20

Knoxville, TN

4:30 PM ET

Kent State University

3-2

University of Tennessee

5-0

Kent State

Tennessee

Kent State Falls 4-3 to #13 Tennessee in Series Opener

2/20/2026 7:57:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Kent State baseball team dropped a tight 4-3 decision to #13 Tennessee on Friday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

The Flashes (3-2) struck first in the fourth inning when Luke Matthews singled to left field, scoring Micah Rienstra-Kiracofe, who had been hit by a pitch earlier in the inning.

Tennessee (4-0) remained scoreless through five innings behind a strong start from Ciaran Caughey, who pitched four shutout innings while allowing just two hits and walking four batters with four strikeouts.

The Volunteers broke through in the sixth inning with three runs to take the lead. Reese Chapman doubled to center field and advanced to third on a flyout. Manny Marin drove him in with a sacrifice fly to tie the game. Chris Newstrom then walked, and Jay Abernathy delivered the big blow with a two-run homer to right-center, giving Tennessee a 3-1 advantage.

Kent State fought back in the eighth inning. Sawyer Solitaria was hit by a pitch and advanced to third on a wild pitch and a groundout. Rienstra-Kiracofe came through with an RBI single up the middle to cut the deficit to 3-2.

The Flashes tied the game in the ninth inning when Matthews was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame, and after a strikeout, Max Humphrey laid down a bunt single. Grady Mee was then hit by a pitch to load the bases. Solitaria singled through the left side to score Matthews and tie the game at 3-3.

However, Tennessee answered immediately in the bottom of the ninth. Tyler Myatt, pinch-hitting for Ariel Antigua, led off with a solo home run off Caden Leonard to give the Volunteers a 4-3 walk-off victory.

Jordan Kolenda took the loss for Kent State, pitching 1.2 innings and allowing three runs. Solitaria finished 1-for-3 with an RBI and was hit by a pitch, while Rienstra-Kiracofe went 1-for-3 with an RBI.

Tennessee starter Ty Kuhns pitched 5.2 innings, allowing just one run on one hit while walking three and striking out four.

The Flashes will look to even the series when they face the Volunteers again Saturday at 4 p.m. Eastern.

---

Be The Difference, Support the Baseball Excellence Fund

Support the baseball program today by donating to the Baseball Excellence Fund by clicking here.

Follow Kent State Baseball

For complete coverage of Kent State Baseball, download the official Kent State Golden Flashes app (iOS, Android) and follow the Golden Flashes on social media on X, Instagram, and Facebook for news and updates.