Kent State University
25-8, 13-4
Northern Illinois University
19-11, 11-6
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kent St. | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 11 | 2 |
| Northern Ill. | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 13 | 0 |
Kent State Rallies Past Northern Illinois With 9-8 Win to Tie Series
4/11/2026 7:19:00 PM | Baseball
DEKALB, Ill. — Ripken Reese delivered two big swings and Kent State's bullpen held the line as the Golden Flashes rallied past Northern Illinois, 9-8, Saturday afternoon at Ralph McKinzie Field to even the weekend series at one game apiece. The Flashes, who trailed 2-0 after the first inning and were tied three times throughout the game, improved to 25-8 overall and 13-4 in MAC play.
Reese was the catalyst from start to finish. He tripled home Brady Marshall in the third inning to ignite a four-run frame, then clubbed a go-ahead homer in the sixth inning to put Kent State back ahead at 8-7. He finished 2-for-5 with a triple, a home run, three RBIs, and a run scored.
The Flashes broke out in the third, turning a 2-0 deficit into a 4-2 lead in a hurry. After Reese's RBI triple, Micah Rienstra-Kiracofe followed with a two-run blast to left field, and Nolan Belcher added a two-out RBI double to push the lead to 4-2. Northern Illinois answered to tie the game in the bottom of the third, but Kent State used a Reese groundout RBI in the fourth to retake the advantage at 5-4.
The Huskies tied it again in the fifth when Gavin Baldwin crushed a three-run homer to left center, knotting the score at 7-7. Reese's go-ahead shot in the sixth broke the second tie of the afternoon, but NIU responded immediately with a Caden Robertson RBI double to make it 8-8 heading into the seventh.
Luke Matthews delivered the decisive blow, singling home Alejandro Covas in the top of the seventh to put Kent State ahead for good at 9-8. Matthews finished 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI, and two stolen bases.
Evan Holewinski (2-0) earned the win out of the bullpen, working 3.1 innings of one-run ball. Brody Krzysiak closed it out, recording his third save of the season with 1.1 innings of scoreless relief.
Kolton Schaller chipped in with a two-run single in the fifth, and Rienstra-Kiracofe was a force throughout, going 1-for-3 with two RBI, two walks, and two stolen bases.
Robertson led NIU (19-11, 11-6 MAC) with a 4-for-4 day that included a home run, a double, and three RBIs.
With the series now tied, the Flashes and Huskies meet Sunday in the decisive finale, with first pitch scheduled for 2:00 p.m. ET.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Holewinski, Evan (2-0)
L: Nick Bassi (3-1)
S: Krzysiak, Brody (3)
Batting:
2B: Belcher, Nolan 1 ; Matthews, Luke 1
3B: Reese, Ripken 1
HR: Reese, Ripken 1 ; Rienstra-Kiracofe, Micah 1
RBI: Reese, Ripken 3 ; Rienstra-Kiracofe, Micah 2 ; Belcher, Nolan 1 ; Schaller, Kolton 2 ; Matthews, Luke 1
SH: Mee, Grady 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Marshall, Brady 1 ; Reese, Ripken 2 ; Rienstra-Kiracofe, Micah 1 ; Solitaria, Sawyer 1 ; Williams, Brody 1 ; Covas, Alejandro 2 ; Matthews, Luke 1
SB: Marshall, Brady 1 ; Rienstra-Kiracofe, Micah 1 ; Solitaria, Sawyer 1 ; Covas, Alejandro 1 ; Matthews, Luke 1
HBP: Covas, Alejandro 1 ; Belcher, Nolan 1
Batting:
2B: Caden Robertson 1 ; Ivan Dahlberg 1
HR: Caden Robertson 1 ; Gavin Baldwin 1
RBI: Caden Robertson 3 ; Gavin Baldwin 3 ; Ivan Dahlberg 1 ; Wyatt Wawro 1
SH: Wyatt Wawro 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Charlie Parcell 1 ; Cole Smith 2 ; Caden Robertson 3 ; Gavin Baldwin 1 ; Ivan Dahlberg 1
SB: Charlie Parcell 1 ; Marcus Romero 1
CS: Wyatt Wawro 1
HBP: Marcus Romero 1
