Kent State baseball is peaking at the right time ahead of a weekend series against Miami University, sweeping the UMass Minutemen to win the team’s seventh straight game and post its best start since 1983 with an 18-4 record and an 8-1 start in Mid-American Conference play.
KSU put up an incredible offensive weekend, scoring at least nine runs in every game, including 14 to open the series.
Despite the offensive onslaught, the game was tight as the Minutemen held a small lead in the sixth inning.
Redshirt freshman catcher Nolan Belcher then scored the go-ahead run in the seventh before sophomore Brady Marshall singled to extend the lead, and redshirt junior infielder Ripken Reese added a sacrifice fly. In the eighth inning, the Flashes brought out the dagger as they buried the Minutemen with an eight-run inning.
Marshall and Reese hit for RBI, but the major damage came on a home run from graduate student Hunter Klotz that scored the final three runners of the game as a scoreless bottom half ended the game.
On the mound, senior Ciaran Caughey continued his excellent start to the season with six solid innings. The veteran struck out eight and allowed just three runs. In relief, redshirt junior Gavin Jones continued to bounce back and picked up a save with two perfect innings.
Saturday was more of the same for the Flashes. Five solid innings were all KSU needed from redshirt sophomore Easton Tumis, allowing just two runs; he limited UMass to four hits and induced seven fly outs.
Tumis could have pitched longer, but another offensive explosion ended his day.
KSU was behind 3-1 in the fifth. However, for the second straight game the offense used an eight-spot to pull away.
UMass lost the strike zone to score the first three KSU runs on multiple walks as Minutemen pitchers struggled to hit the broad side of a barn.
They would find the zone, but senior catcher Brody Williams crushed a home run to wrap up the scoring for the Flashes. The three-run blast from Williams put the Flashes up 9-1.
The Minutemen would push two more runs across, but redshirt senior Nick Guidas and Jordan Kolenda locked down the series win.
Breaking out the gold jerseys for the second consecutive weekend, Kent State would attempt to sweep its fourth series of the season and sit alone atop the conference standings.
A second-inning outburst of four runs would put KSU in a prime position to record a sweep. Sophomores Micah Rienstra-Kiracofe and Sawyer Solitaria both provided power with run-scoring extra-base hits.
Kiracofe doubled in two runs before Solitaria deposited his eighth home run of the season to make it 4-0.
For redshirt sophomore pitcher Ben Rabatin, it was mostly smooth sailing. Only redshirt junior Will Briggs gave the right-hander problems with two home runs as part of a three-hit, four-run day
The Flashes responded to the home runs by putting up another crooked number of four runs in the fifth.
Late in the game, UMass would make a push against a bullpen that has struggled at times in recent weeks. Despite good outings in the first two games, the unit faltered after six solid innings from Rabatin.
Junior Brody Krzysiak was hit around for 2 runs in his inning of work; freshman Grant Keffaber and graduate student Caden Leonard were tagged for 3 runs. A pair of those runs were picked up after a walk, and a passed ball to start the inning allowed UMass to trim the lead to 8-7.
Marshall finished his weekend with a ninth-inning sacrifice fly to notch a key insurance run, as Briggs homered for the third time in the game. Redshirt sophomore Evan Holewinski still earned the save of the season for his team-leading third save.
On Deck
Schoonover Stadium will be rocking this week, with a matchup in store with the Pittsburgh Panthers on Tuesday afternoon. This will be the final game before a critical weekend series against Miami University.
Last season, the two teams matched up in Pittsburgh, where the Panthers came out on top 17-13 after a seven-run fourth inning.
Tuesday’s game is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start, with Jones scheduled to make the start.
Stone O’Bryant is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].
