The flag flew again Tuesday night after the Kent State baseball team won its sixth of its last nine games in a crushing 10-3 win over Penn State.

The Flashes have defeated two Power Five opponents in the last seven days, as the team beat Pittsburgh University in a 5-4 victory April 10.

KSU had 22 baserunners in the game, and PSU had only 13 – Kent State totaled 13 hits alone.

The Flashes went on the road to Happy Valley and picked up win No. 17 on the season.

The team is 17-17 on the season and has an 8-7 record against Mid-American Conference opponents.

Despite the win, the Flashes fell to the sixth seed in the MAC.

Recapping the upset

The Flashes got off to a hot start in front of over 5,000 fans at University Park.

Senior first baseman Tim Orr got the game going with an RBI single, scoring redshirt senior Josh Johnson, who walked and advanced to second base on a passed ball.

Orr was brought in to score on sophomore catcher Brody Williams’ ground out.

The score was 2-0 after the first inning.

Redshirt sophomore pitcher Rocco Bernadina kept the Nittany Lions at bay in the first inning, which he did all game.

KSU got back to work in the top of the second with an RBI single from Johnson in his second time at the plate.

Williams continued the scoring with an RBI single in the third inning, and the lead was extended on an error on PSU.

The score was 5-0 after four and a half innings.

In the bottom half of the fifth inning, Penn State got on the board with a bases-loaded walk, but PSU would not score again in the inning.

Bernadina exited the game before the fifth inning ended. The pitcher pitched 4.2 innings and allowed one run on four hits, two walks and five strikeouts.

PSU cut into the lead, but the Flashes took command by scoring the next four runs.

The scoring run started with Johnson, who plated a run with a bunt single, making the score 6-1.

Senior third baseman Michael McNamara kept it going in the top of the seventh with an RBI single of his own, and KSU added two more runs on a redshirt freshman second baseman Ripken Reese’s RBI single, who came around to score the second run of the inning on a wild pitch.

Penn State made a scratch in a large 9-1 lead by scoring two runs of its own in the bottom of the eighth, but KSU got some of it back with a fielder’s choice RBI in the top of the ninth.

Penn State went three-up-three-down in the bottom of the ninth to secure the Flashes’ 10-3 victory.

Bernadina earned the win, improving his record to 2-0 on the season. His 4.2 innings of work were the most he has pitched this season, and he had a season-high five strikeouts on the day.

KSU used four relief pitchers to close out the final 4.1 innings. They combined for two runs on four hits, three walks, two wild pitches and six strikeouts.

Redshirt junior Benny Roebuck allowed no baserunners and had two strikeouts in his lone inning of work – the game-clinching bottom of the ninth inning.

The offense had only four extra-base hits – all doubles and the team scored six of its 10 runs on RBI singles.

Johnson and Williams led the offense against the Penn State pitching as Johnson went 2-3 with two singles, two walks, two RBIs and a run, while Williams had a 2-4 day with one single, one double, one walk, two RBIs and a run. 

KSU scored in all but one inning Tuesday night.

Looking ahead

Wednesday’s game against Ohio State was postponed due to weather in the Kent area. No makeup day for the game has been scheduled.

The Flashes will travel to Northern Illinois for a three-game weekend series that runs Friday through Sunday.

Last season, KSU swept the Huskies in the lone three-game series between the two teams.

KSU outscored NIU 40-18 in the three games, including 12-1 and 16-7 victories.

Northern Illinois has lost eight of its last 10 games and holds an 11-24 record on the season. The Huskies are eighth in the MAC with a 6-9 conference record.

Friday’s first pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.

The team is 3-7 on the road in its last 10 games. KSU will look to take back control of the MAC and improve its 7-15 record away from home in the series against Northern Illinois.

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