Flashes Earn 40th Win and Clinch First Round Bye with Another 4-3 Victory at Toledo

Friday, May 15

Toledo, OH

3 PM ET

Kent State University

40-12, 24-8

University of Toledo

28-27, 20-12

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

Kent State Golden Flashes pitcher Ciaran Caughey, wearing No. 10 in a gray Under Armour jersey and gray pants, winds up in a high leg kick on the mound, with a teammate positioned in the infield behind him and the outfield wall with the distance marker '370' visible in the background.

Flashes Earn 40th Win and Clinch First Round Bye with Another 4-3 Victory at Toledo

5/15/2026 6:04:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

TOLEDO, Ohio – Ciaran Caughey struck out seven over six innings, and a three-run fifth inning erased a two-run deficit, as Kent State defeated Toledo, 4-3, Friday afternoon at Scott Park to clinch the series. The Golden Flashes improved to 40-12 overall and 24-8 in MAC play, earning the program's 13th 40-win season in program history and fourth under head coach Jeff Duncan.

Kent State fell behind 2-0 through four innings before Nolan Belcher led off the fifth with a solo home run to left center, sparking a three-run rally. Micah Rienstra-Kiracofe followed with an RBI double down the left field line to score Brady Marshall and tie the game, and Luke Matthews singled to left to plate Rienstra-Kiracofe for the lead. Rienstra-Kiracofe added an insurance RBI single in the seventh, scoring Ripken Reese after a pair of wild pitches moved him to third, to make it 4-2. Toledo pulled within one on a Cade Baker RBI single in the eighth, but Peyton Williams came on and shut the door, striking out four of the five batters he faced to earn his sixth save of the season.

Caughey improved to 7-2, and Williams, Brody Krzysiak, and Caden Leonard combined to hold Toledo to one run over the final three innings. Rienstra-Kiracofe went 2-for-3 with two RBI to pace the offense.

With the series clinched, Kent State has also locked up a first-round bye in the MAC Tournament. A win Saturday or a Miami (OH) loss would clinch back-to-back MAC Regular Season Championships.

Kent State and Toledo close out the regular season Saturday at Scott Park, first pitch at 1 p.m.

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