Kent State baseball was three outs away from getting revenge on a Power Five team Tuesday.

Less than a month ago, on March 19, Pittsburgh University defeated KSU in a heartbreaker. The Panthers scored five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to beat the Flashes by four runs in a 12-8 game.

The Flashes sent junior reliever Peyton Cariaco to shut the door on the Panthers, with KSU clinging to a 5-4 advantage.

Cariaco finished off the last two outs of the eighth inning before coming back in, and the pitcher was looking for his first save of the season.

The reliever got the first out of the inning on a fly out to center field, but the tying run got on base on the next batter with a single.

That was followed up with a single down the first base line, but the runner got caught taking off for second base, and the play at second base resulted in the runner being out. The tying run advanced to third.

Cariaco hit the ensuing batter, putting runners on the corners with one out to go.

On a 1-1 pitch, the ball was smashed toward the gap between the third baseman and shortstop, but senior shortstop Kyle Jackson made a diving play on a dipping ball, making the final out.

The Flashes escaped the Panthers with a 5-4 win — the team’s first win against a Power Five opponent since April 25, 2023, when the Flashes took down Ohio State in a 10-5 victory.

“Fly the flag,” coach Jeff Duncan said. “We just beat a Power Five team, and anytime you do that, it’s a lot of fun and it’s a good thing for a locker room.”

Cariaco got his first save of the season.

Kent State hit .500 for the first time since March 24, and the team now sits at 15-15.

The Flashes are 7-5 in Mid-American Conference play and remain in fourth place in the MAC.

How it went

The starting pitcher for the Flashes was sophomore Ciaran Caughey, who last pitched three days ago against Eastern Michigan.

He entered the game with an 0-1 record in eight appearances, a 5.49 ERA, 22 strikeouts, and nine walks.

The pitcher was making his first start of the 2024 season.

His first time out as a starter was clean, as he pitched for 2.1 innings, allowing no base runners and striking out one before being pulled early.

The offense did not have much to show for in the first inning but got far ahead in the second.

A hit-by-pitch walk followed by a single set up the Flashes well. The situation got better when Pitt hit another KSU batter, loading the bases.

Senior third baseman Michael McNamara stepped up to the plate with a chance to break the game open.

After taking a first-pitch strike, McNamara cracked the ball to right center, and it carried over the wall, giving the Flashes an early 4-0 advantage.

“[There were] a lot of good at-bats by the guys in front of me,” McNamara said. “Nobody out, bases loaded — it was just trying to do a job — getting some guys in scoring position, trying to get them in early and getting a lead. The guys in front of me did a great job. It took the pressure off of me and allowed me to just be free up there.”

The KSU pitching held for an inning before Pitt dented the lead in the fourth.

A Kent State throwing error allowed two Panthers to cross the plate, cutting the lead in half, and the Flashes could not respond in their half of the inning.

After a four-batter fifth inning by KSU pitching, the Flashes took to the plate again.

A leadoff walk and a strikeout started the inning, but Jackson took the plate and delivered by bringing in a key insurance run.

The shortstop knocked a ball to the right center wall and took a couple of bases, allowing the walker to score from first. The Flashes led 5-2.

KSU would score no more runs in the game, and in the seventh inning, the game got even closer.

A Pitt two-run home run cut the lead to one.

KSU was able to maintain control of the lead after pitching a clean eighth inning, and the team held on in the ninth inning, giving the team its 5-4 victory.

“I was a little bit tighter,” Duncan said. “However, we stayed resilient — they were coming, and we held it off and got the W.”

Caughey won with his 2.1-inning start, improving his record to 1-1 on the season.

“All in all, the narrative of this game is we have really good pitching all the way through,” Duncan said. “We got a good start from Caughey — he was outstanding and really set the tone for us. Michael McNamara has a big hit, and he’s starting to come around, so that’s a big thing — good sign for us.”

The Flashes used six total pitchers who combined for one earned run (four total) on 10 hits, five walks and seven strikeouts.

“We had a great start by Ciaran [Caughey],” McNamara said. “He did a really good job, and then [Cariaco] had some nuts at the end there to get the job done. Everyone on the pitching staff did a phenomenal job tonight and kept us in that game.”

The amount of pitchers used was due to the nature of the schedule.

“In a midweek [matchup], we have to do that a little bit to try to save some pitching for the weekend,” Duncan said. “Our guys did their job and did a really good job. Cariaco was outstanding, and he’s been really good late in the game for us. Hopefully, we can continue to build on this — I want to continue to string in those wins.”

The KSU offense struggled against Pitt pitching, as the team struck out 13 times, including a three-strikeout inning in the bottom of the eighth.

“The last three games, we’ve been really good at putting the ball in play,” Duncan said. “Our approach has gotten so much better. Tonight, you have to tip your cap a little bit to them, too, and the strike zone was a little bit bigger. We handled it, and then we scored more runs than they did and at the end of the day, you win.”

That being said, the offense was also efficient, as the team scored five runs on five hits.

Duncan attributed the efficiency to the team’s “timely hits.”

“When you have a big hit from McNamara and get that grand slam — that’ll do it right there,” he said. “And a big hit from Kyle Jackson. It was tough; he hung in there and got a good barrel. He put the ball right center, and that’s all we needed.”

The efficient offense was led by McNamara and Jackson.

McNamara went 1-3 with a walk, a grand slam and four RBIs – he has hit a home run in two consecutive games and has five on the season.

“It’s good to see – he’s been a three-time All-MAC performer for us, and it’s good to see him get going,” Duncan said. “He’s a big part of our lineup, obviously. When we can get a guy like him going, we can be very, very dangerous as an offense.”

Jackson had a crucial RBI-double in the fifth inning that proved to be the difference in the game. It was Jackson’s seventh double and 20th RBI of the season.

Jackson is second on the team in doubles, fourth in RBIs, and third in batting average for qualified hitters this season.

The Flashes have won 4 of their last five games.

How it will go

After the successful homestand, McNamara and the Flashes will try to keep the momentum for a MAC series away from Kent.

“We had a great weekend, and we were trying to translate that over into tonight,” he said. “We had our moments tonight, but we’re gonna keep sticking with that process going into this weekend against Toledo.”

KSU will try to mimic its success at home when it takes on Toledo on the road this weekend.

Last season, KSU took the series two games to one in a tight matchup — all games were decided by three runs or less.

Toledo is one spot above the Flashes in the MAC standings, as the Rockets will come into the game with a 10-5 conference record and a 17-16 overall record.

The Rockets are 9-4 in their last 13 games and have three wins where the team has scored 18 or more runs.

The series against Toledo will run Friday-Sunday at Scott Park.

“We saw a bunch of lefties today, and we’re gonna see three starting lefties from them this weekend,” Duncan said. “Hopefully, this helps us against Pitt and seeing two lefties for the majority of the game. Hopefully, it will prime us for the weekend.”

The game one start is scheduled for redshirt junior Calvin Bickerstaff.

Bickerstaff earned his third win of the season last time out in a 20-7 victory against Eastern Michigan.

He will come into the game with a 3-2 record and a 4.91 ERA. He has allowed 35 hits, 23 total runs, six home runs, six walks, and 37 strikeouts.

Game one’s first pitch will be at 3 p.m.

As the season rolls on, McNamara noted that “vibes are high” in the locker room.

“We’re in a good place,” he said. “We’ve had our ups and downs to start the season, but now we’re keeping to the process we have. Everyone’s close as ever, so we’re in a really good spot and excited.”

John Hilber is assistant sports editor. Contact him at [email protected].