Head baseball coach Jeff Duncan has spent the last few games coaching from third base instead of his usual post of the dugout, citing a need to change “mojo.” The team hasn’t lost since then, including a 13-2 over the Mercyhurst Lakers.
“I thought we played very well,” Duncan said. “We hit the ball well.”
Three Flashes homered in the victory, including senior shortstop Luke Matthews who continues to break out of his slump. He’s hit in 10 of his last 11, raising his average to .271.
He also excelled defensively with Duncan postgame praising his heads up play where he went to second to get a runner leaning.
Senior catcher Brody Williams also picked up where he left off with another two-hit game. He also tacked on a run and an RBI in the first inning that drove in sophomore infielder Brady Marshall, who singled to lead off the game.
Matthew’s home run came in the second inning and made it 4-0. The Flashes then put this game in blowout territory in the third when sophomore Sawyer Solitaria crushed a pitch the other way for his 11th home run of the season.
Senior infielder Grady Mee then hit his first home run at Schoonover Stadium and his second of the season to wrap up the scoring for the inning, with it now 8-0.
The Lakers got on the board when freshman pitcher Parker Lind lost command of the zone and threw a wild pitch that allowed a runner to score.
Redshirt junior Alex Alberico then came into the game and shone in his inning and two-thirds pitched, allowing no runs and striking out a batter.3
The effort earned him the first win of his career.
“It means a lot,” Alberico said. “We’ve put in a lot of work this year. I mean, on and off the field. First off, I want to thank God and my teammates for believing in me every single day, coming out here, knowing what I can do, knowing what each and every one of us can do, I just really appreciate it.”
Alberico also touched on his arsenal, featuring a fastball and a curveball.
“I really try to keep it simple,” he said. “I like to throw a lot of heaters up, curveballs down, just getting ahead.”
Redshirt senior Nick Guidas drew his second start of the season and was solid in his two innings of work for a day where most of the staff was effective.
“I thought Nick Guidas did a great job setting the tone,” Duncan said. “I thought Alberico did a good job, and Grant Keffaber, when he’s in the zone, is really good.”
After giving up the run in the fourth. KSU exploded for five more runs, starting when Marshall came around to score on an error on the throw down to third when he stole the base.
Junior Alejandro Covas then joined the hit party with a single that scored redshirt junior Ripken Reese.
Walks, wild pitches and Matthews second hit and fourth RBI wrapped up the scoring for the day.
The rest of the game was relatively quiet, with the bench coming en masse. Redshirt freshman Nate Muncy and redshirt junior Josh Cope picked up at-bats, and Muncy had a hard-hit lineout.
Mercyhurst tacked a second run in the seventh, but the mercy rule still ensued, ending the game after seven innings.
On Deck
Kent State heads to Kalamazoo, Mich., to play Western Michigan in another key series in Mid-American Conference play. Western sits a game behind KSU in the standings alongside Miami and Northern Illinois, who hold the tiebreaker against the Flashes.
Duncan preached staying consistent and continuing to build on the success from the weekend as the team hits the final stretch.
“We have 14 [regular season] games left,” Duncan said. “24 to Omaha”
Stone O’Bryant is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].
