Kent State University
18-4, 8-1
University of Massachusetts
5-10, 1-8
Flashes Complete Fourth Sweep with 9-8 Win Over UMass, Best Start Since 1983
3/22/2026 4:19:00 PM | Baseball
HARTFORD, Conn. — In a game that went back and forth until the final out, the Kent State Golden Flashes held on to defeat Massachusetts 9-8 on Sunday at DiBenedetto Stadium, completing their fourth sweep of the season and improving to 18-4 overall and 8-1 in MAC play. The 18-4 start is the best in the program since 1983, when the Flashes opened 19-3.
Kent State struck early and often, plating four runs in the second inning to set the tone. Brady Marshall and Alejandro Covas drew back-to-back walks, and after Luke Matthews laid down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners up, Micah Rienstra-Kiracofe doubled to deep left field to clear the bases and make it 2-0. Sawyer Solitaria then followed with a two-run home run to left field to push the lead to 4-0. Massachusetts answered with a Will Briggs solo shot in the bottom half, and Briggs homered again in the fourth to cut the deficit to 4-2, but the Flashes were far from done.
Kent State broke the game open again in the fifth with another four-run outburst. Ripken Reese led off with a solo home run to left, and the Flashes kept right on rolling. Nolan Belcher doubled and scored on an Alejandro Covas RBI single, Matthews doubled home another run, and Rienstra-Kiracofe reached on a fielder's choice to plate Covas and push the lead to 8-2. It looked as though the Flashes were in command.
Massachusetts had other ideas. The Minutemen chipped away with two runs in the seventh, erupted for three more in the eighth on a Ty Fox RBI single, a Willi Marc RBI single, and a Ty Fox RBI double to make it a one-run game at 8-7 heading to the ninth.Â
The Flashes got an insurance run in the ninth when Max Humphrey doubled and scored on a Brady Marshall sacrifice fly to make it 9-7. It proved necessary. Evan Holewinski came on to close in the ninth, and after retiring the first batter, he gave up Briggs' third home run of the game to make it 9-8. But Holewinski buckled down, striking out the final two batters to slam the door and earn his third save of the season.
Ben Rabatin earned the win to improve to 3-0, going six innings and striking out seven while allowing just two runs. Rienstra-Kiracofe finished 1-for-4 with two RBI, while Reese went 1-for-3 with a home run, two RBI, and two walks. Solitaria's two-run shot in the second gave him eight home runs on the season. The Flashes issued 13 walks on the afternoon and did not commit an error, playing a clean game defensively despite the bullpen's late-inning struggles.
The Flashes return home to host Pittsburgh on Tuesday, March 24, at 3 p.m. at Schoonover Stadium.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Rabatin, Ben (3-0)
L: Masteralexis, Justin (0-2)
S: Holewinski, Evan (3)
Batting:
2B: Matthews, Luke 1 ; Belcher, Nolan 1 ; Humphrey, Max 1 ; Rienstra-Kiracofe, Micah 1
HR: Reese, Ripken 1 ; Solitaria, Sawyer 1
RBI: Matthews, Luke 1 ; Marshall, Brady 1 ; Reese, Ripken 1 ; Covas, Alejandro 1 ; Rienstra-Kiracofe, Micah 2 ; Solitaria, Sawyer 2
SH: Matthews, Luke 1 ; Marshall, Brady 1
SF: Marshall, Brady 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Marshall, Brady 2 ; Reese, Ripken 1 ; Belcher, Nolan 1 ; Covas, Alejandro 2 ; Humphrey, Max 1 ; Rienstra-Kiracofe, Micah 1 ; Solitaria, Sawyer 1
SB: Marshall, Brady 1 ; Rienstra-Kiracofe, Micah 3
CS: Rienstra-Kiracofe, Micah 1
HBP: Reese, Ripken 1 ; Schaller, Kolton 1 ; Covas, Alejandro 1 ; Solitaria, Sawyer 1
Batting:
2B: Tirado, Anthony 1 ; Fox, Ty 1
3B: O'Brien, Gavin 1
HR: Briggs, Will 3
RBI: O'Brien, Gavin 1 ; Willi, Marc 1 ; Fox, Ty 2 ; Briggs, Will 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Tirado, Anthony 1 ; Gobeil, Dean 1 ; Fox, Ty 1 ; Briggs, Will 4 ; May, Randen 1
SB: May, Randen 1
