Flashes Fly the Flag in Columbus, Down Ohio State for Second Straight Year

Tuesday, March 10

Columbus, OH

3 PM ET

Kent State University

12-4

Ohio State University

5-10

Kent St.

Ohio State

Flashes Fly the Flag in Columbus, Down Ohio State for Second Straight Year

3/10/2026 6:32:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

COLUMBUS, Ohio — For the second consecutive season, the Kent State Golden Flashes made the trip to Columbus and left with a victory. Behind a dramatic five-run ninth inning, the Flashes rallied past Ohio State 8-5 on Tuesday at the Buckeyes' home park, improving to 12-4 on the year and notching their third win over a Power Four program this season.

Kent State struck first, plating two runs in the opening frame. Micah Rienstra-Kiracofe reached on a hit by pitch, and Sawyer Solitaria doubled him to third, and when Solitaria advanced on a passed ball, Rienstra-Kiracofe scored. Alejandro Covas then singled up the middle to bring home Solitaria and give the Flashes a 2-0 lead.

Ohio State chipped away, tying the game at two by the fourth inning on a Lee Ellis solo home run in the third and an unearned run in the fourth. The Buckeyes then took the lead for good, or so it seemed in the sixth, when Alex Bemis launched a two-run shot to right center to make it 4-2. A Hunter Klotz sacrifice fly in the seventh pulled Kent State to within one, but Henry Kaczmar answered right back with a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth to push the Ohio State lead back to 5-3 heading into the ninth.

Then Flashes took over. Grady Mee drew a leadoff walk to start the ninth, and Covas followed with a two-run home run to left field to knot the game at five instantly. The Flashes weren't done. After a walk to Nolan Belcher and a Brady Marshall single, Luke Matthews drew a bases-loaded walk to set the table for Max Humphrey, who delivered the knockout blow, a three-run double down the right field line that plated Matthews, Marshall, and Belcher to put Kent State ahead 8-5 for good.

Covas was the offensive catalyst for the Flashes, going 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. Humphrey, coming off the bench, provided the decisive blow with his three-RBI double. Jordan Kolenda earned the win in relief, tossing a clean one-third of an inning, and Peyton Williams nailed down his second save of the season with a scoreless ninth.

Up Next

The Flashes return home to Schoonover Stadium this weekend to host Central Michigan for a three-game series, Friday through Sunday, March 13-15.

---

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.