The Kent State baseball team returned home to Schoonover Stadium Tuesday to take on the Case Western Reserve Spartans. The Spartans are one of the top national teams in Division III baseball, just missing this week’s rankings after being ranked 23rd last week.

The Flashes are coming off a 2-1 series victory against the Bowling Green Falcons and looked to continue their strong offensive showings of the past few weeks and get to .500  on the season.

On the mound to start for the Flashes was redshirt junior Nick Guidas. He was coming off of a scoreless inning-and-a-third last timeout against Pittsburgh. In his last start against Northern Illinois, he failed to make it out of the third inning.

Guidas only recorded five outs before exiting, giving up three runs on five hits and a walk. The cold weather impacted both starters, as the Case Western starter only recorded an out before exiting.

The Spartans would jump ahead on a single from graduate student utility player Franco Alonso that scored senior Nick Harms. The Flashes would respond with three runs of their own that came on a bases loaded walk and an error that allowed two runners to score.

Harms, a two-way-player, would tie the game in the second on a double past the diving senior outfielder Jake Casey in right.

In the bottom of the third, the Flashes would retake the lead on a sacrifice fly from redshirt sophomore infielder Ripken Reese. 

After the Spartans tied the game on a wild pitch in the top half of the fourth, the Flashes would again reclaim the lead when freshman outfielder Micah Rienstra-Kiracofe tripled in Reese, the reigning MAC Player of the Week. On the very next pitch, graduate student third baseman Hayden Jatczak singled in Rienstra-Kiracofe to make it 6-4.

In the sixth, the Spartans would take a 7-6 lead on a hit-by-pitch and a two-run single from senior outfielder Logan Andreyko.

The score would hold until the seventh until sophomore catcher Dom Kibler homered deep to right. The homer, his fourth of the season, gave the Flashes an 8-7 lead. Freshman shortstop Brady Marshall would add another run on a safety squeeze that scored junior infielder Matt Thompson to make it 9-7.

In the eighth, the Flashes would add five more runs to make it 14-7. They came on two hit-by-pitches, a two-run single from Thompson to right and a Rienstra-Kiracofe single to the opposite field.

Senior reliever Peyton Cariaco would set the Spartans down 1-2-3 in the 9th to close out the win.

Redshirt sophomore reliever Jordan Kolenda picked up the win with the loss going to junior Austin McGowan. Cariaco would pick up the save.

The notables

Junior reliever Ciaran Caughey saved the bullpen and pitched very well in relief despite the cold weather, which impacted all the pitchers Tuesday. In his three innings of work, he only allowed one run and one hit and struck out five.

Kibler also continues to impress with his power. Despite an average under .200, pitchers need to be careful when pitching to him, as his power makes him a threat to leave the park every time he makes contact. His last four hits have all gone for home runs.

The offense did their “jobs” today. Whether it was moving the runner over, getting sacrifice bunts down or hitting a ball deep enough to get the runner home, the offense made good use of their at bats Tuesday to scratch across 14 runs.

On deck

With the win against Case Western, Kent State improved to 11-11 on the season, putting the team at sixth in the MAC with a 4-2 conference record still.

The Flashes will continue the four-game homestand with a conference series against the Toledo Rockets. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, with the finale being scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday.

Redshirt sophomore starter Gavin Jones and sophomore starter Jake Bean should toe the rubber on Friday and Saturday, respectively, hoping to continue their solid stretch of starts.