Sophomore right fielder Sawyer Solitaria homered twice as the Kent State baseball team jumped out to a 6-0 lead and survived a late Southeastern Louisiana rally en route to an 8-3 win to open the season.
Solitaria, named to the preseason Golden Spikes watch list, homered the opposite way in the third to extend the lead to 5-0 before putting the dagger in the win with a two-run shot to left in the ninth. He finished with three hits on the day, which led the team.
Redshirt junior Ripken Reese launched the home run party with a blast out to right in the second with 2 outs before Micah Rienstra Kiracofe blew the game open with a three-run home run.
On the mound, junior Ciaran Caughey showed why head coach Jeff Duncan made him the Friday starter to open the season. Allowing just one walk, he struck out eight batters in five innings. The biggest test he faced was runners on the corner in the fourth after the first two batters reached. He struck out the next two batters before inducing a weak flyout to end the inning.
Sophomore pitcher Brady St. Pierre, picked as the preseason Southland pitcher of the year according to D1 Baseball, was shellacked for five runs in four innings. All three hits he allowed were home runs, and he also walked four batters.
The Lions finally made their big push in the seventh off redshirt junior pitcher Gavin Jones. The Lions scored 3 runs as Jones’ command issues returned, as he walked two players and hit another batter.
The eighth brought even more scares for the Flashes, but junior left fielder Alejandro Covas made a spectacular catch on the warning track to save a game-tying home run. Graduate student pitcher Caden Leonard shut things down in the ninth to lock down the opening day win.
Up Next
The Lions and Flashes will continue their series Saturday at 2 p.m.
Redshirt Sophomore Easton Tumis will make his KSU debut after transferring in from Texas. Senior Lakin Polk will oppose him on the bump for the Lions.
Stone O’Bryant is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].
