Golden Flashes Even Series With 5-1 Victory Over Ball State

Saturday, April 18

Kent, Ohio

6 PM ET

Kent State University

27-10, 14-6

Ball State University

19-19, 13-7

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Ball St.	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	3	0
Kent St.	0	2	0	2	0	0	1	0	X	5	8	0

Kent State Golden Flashes baseball player wearing No. 32 in a navy blue jersey and white pants smiles broadly while standing near first base, with an umpire and an opposing player in a white jersey with No. 19 visible in the background, and a Kent State base coach partially visible at right.

Golden Flashes Even Series With 5-1 Victory Over Ball State

4/18/2026 8:57:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

KENT, Ohio — Kent State bounced back from Friday's series opener loss to defeat Ball State 5-1 Saturday night at Schoonover Stadium, evening the series at one game apiece and improving to 27-10 overall and 14-6 in MAC play behind a dominant pitching performance and timely hitting.

The Flashes wasted little time getting on the board in the second inning. Micah Rienstra-Kiracofe singled up the middle for his 100th career hit, and Brody Williams followed with a two-run home run to right field to give Kent State a 2-0 lead. The Flashes added to their advantage in the fourth when Rienstra-Kiracofe singled again to put runners in scoring position, and Luke Matthews delivered a two-run double to left field to push the lead to 4-0.

Ball State broke through in the sixth when Ryan Muizelaar scored on a Brady Davidson RBI double to make it 4-1, but Evan Holewinski came on in relief and immediately slammed the door. Kent State added an insurance run in the seventh when Matthews drew a walk, Brady Marshall singled and moved to second on the throw, and Ripken Reese reached on an RBI fielder's choice to score Matthews and extend the lead to 5-1.

Holewinski was untouchable the rest of the way, retiring 12 of 13 batters he faced over four innings of relief and striking out seven to earn his fourth save of the season. Easton Tumis earned the win (6-2), going five innings and allowing just one run on two hits.

Rienstra-Kiracofe finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored and the milestone 100th career hit. Williams went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Matthews was 1-for-2 with two RBI, two walks, and a run scored. Marshall added a hit and a walk, and Reese chipped in an RBI. Alejandro Covas doubled in the second and reached base twice.

Kent State and Ball State wrap up the series tomorrow at Schoonover Stadium with first pitch set for 1 p.m.

---

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.