Sophomore Micah Rienstra-Kiracofe did just about everything he could to help Kent State take the series against the Northern Illinois Huskies.

He robbed extra bases in his typical defensive masterclass, he went yard twice on the weekend and reached base twice on Sunday. Still, it was not enough as the team lost two out of three including a 12-2 drubbing and a 5-2 defeat sandwiched in between a 9-8 victory from KSU.

Friday started rough from the get-go and got worse. Senior pitcher Ciaran Caughey was roughed up for seven runs in two and two-thirds innings. 

NIU jumped on Caughey in the first with a run. Then, after Kiracofe robbed extra bases to start the second inning, four more runs were scored, including a three-run home run from senior infielder Cole Smith.

Another crooked number knocked Caughey out of the game and brought the bullpen in. A walk and a double ended things for the normally reliable senior. 

Redshirt junior Jordan Kolenda came in and was immediately greeted with a two-run single from junior outfielder Marcus Romero. Command issues and base hits allowed two more runners to score, making it 9-0.

In the top of the fourth, Kiracofe showcased some power with a home run that got KSU on the board. A single from senior catcher Brody Williams added the final tally to the scoreboard for KSU, but it was not nearly enough to overcome the bad start.

In the sixth inning, more control issues plagued KSU, as a hit a batter drove in a run, and two more batters were walked. The Flashes then went relatively quietly in the seventh as the run rule was enacted.

Saturday was a chance for the team to bounce back in the signature graphite uniforms; to do that, it looked to redshirt sophomore Easton Tumis to pitch in a rubber match.

A first-inning home run put the Huskies up 2-0 quickly, but Tumis settled in to keep the score the same until the third.

KSU finally got some offensive breaks, starting with an RBI triple from redshirt junior Ripken Reese. Kiracofe then followed with a home run that gave the Flashes their first lead of the weekend.

Redshirt freshman Nolan Belcher to make it a four-spot. However, the Cardinals got two runs to tie things up after three.

Resse then tallied a second RBI before senior Kolton Schaller blew things open with a two-run single that made it 7-4. Baldwin then tied things up with a three-run shot to left that ended Tumis’ day after four-and-a-third innings and six earned runs on eight hits.

Redshirt sophomore Evan Holewinski then came in and fired three and a third innings of one-run ball to set the stage for KSU to take the lead on a home run from Reese and a single from Luke Matthews that allowed KSU to win 9-8 after a save from junior Brody Krzysiak.

Facing a rubber match, KSU looked to put some distance between the pack with a series win on the road. For the third straight game, Northern Illinois jumped on Kent State’s starting pitching; this time redshirt sophomore Ben Rabatin was the victim, and it proved to be fatal.

After a leadoff walk, the Huskies tagged Rabatin for three singles to jump out to a 1-0 lead. Rabatin then hit junior infielder Kayden Jennings with a pitch with the bases loaded before giving up another single to make it 3-0 after two innings.

The Flashes were able to respond when Belcher led off with a walk and then found his way around to score, and then leadoff hitter sophomore Brady Marshall singled in senior Grady Mee.

The was as close as the Flashes got the rest of the game, as Rabatin was tagged for five runs on seven hits and five walks in four innings.

A single from Smith and another bases-loaded walk in the fourth tallied the final runs of the game for both squads, as starter sophomore Carter Cox and senior pitcher Blake Gaskey shut KSU down to take the series.

Despite losing the series, the one win was enough to maintain possession of first place in the Mid-American Conference, with the rest of the top teams tied at 12-6. Northern Illinois currently holds the tiebreaker over both Miami and KSU with a combined record of 5-1 between the two.

On Deck

The Flashes will get a chance at redemption when they take on the Mercyhurst Lakers of the Northeast Conference. They will take a trip down the Erie, PA, on Tuesday afternoon, looking to keep up their success against the Lakers. KSU took both games last season by way of run rule. The game’s first pitch is at 3 p.m.

Stone O’Bryant is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].