The Kent State baseball team surrendered six runs in one inning Wednesday and could not gain momentum afterward. The Flashes were upset by Division II opponent Clarion 10-5.
KSU dropped its first home game since April 9 and was doubled-up in runs and hits by Clarion — Kent State had seven hits to Clarion’s 14.
On Tuesday, the Flashes won against Youngstown State for the second time this season, going 1-1 in midweek matchups.
After the split, KSU sits at 20-19 on the season, with a 10-8 record against Mid-American Conference opponents. Kent State is fifth in the MAC.
Tuesday at Youngstown State
The Flashes went after the Penguins’ pitching early and often, as the Flashes hung 10 runs on YSU before the fourth inning began.
The first two runs of the game were collected in the first inning on senior shortstop Kyle Jackson’s ninth home run of the season.
Jackson is tied for first on the team in home runs with senior Tim Orr, and Jackson improved his RBI count to 28 on the season with the two-run shot.
The lead was doubled in the second inning, as the Flashes were able to work the bases loaded.
Redshirt senior Josh Johnson came to the plate but was hit by a pitch, advancing all runners and scoring one. On the ensuing at-bat, the YSU pitcher threw a wild pitch, scoring one more run and giving the Flashes a 4-0 early advantage.
KSU blew the game open in the third inning with six more runs.
The scoring started with an RBI single from freshman left fielder Bo Shinkle, his only RBI of the game.
After a hit-by-pitch walk, Johnson brought in his second and third RBIs of the game on a single and, while on first, attempted to steal second. The steal was successful, but a throw from YSU’s shortstop was erroneous, allowing redshirt freshman second baseman Ripken Reese to score from third.
With just Johnson on base, Orr ripped a triple to center field, extending the lead to 9-0, and Orr would go on to score on a fielder’s choice later in the inning.
After two and a half innings, the Flashes had a 10 run lead, Youngstown State had already used two pitchers and KSU was outhitting the Penguins 8-1.
YSU would get on the board in the bottom of the third with a four-run inning.
The team used two RBI triples and a two-run home run to cut into the Flashes’ lead, and no more runs were scored until the bottom of the eighth inning, when YSU would further cut the lead.
Youngstown State plated three more runs on a sacrifice fly and two RBI singles in the eighth, making the score 10-7, but in the top of the ninth, the Flashes got the three runs back.
A wild pitch gifted KSU a run, and Reese connected on a sacrifice fly in the inning.
Orr got back to work with an RBI single, his second RBI of the game, giving the Flashes a 13-7 lead.
A sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth was all the Penguins could do, and the Flashes took the game on the road 13-8.
The start went to redshirt junior pitcher Benny Roebuck, who pitched for three innings, which is tied for his second-highest inning total this season.
In his three innings, Roebuck allowed four runs on five hits, two walks and zero strikeouts.
The Flashes only used two pitchers to work the final six innings. They combined for four runs, eight hits, five walks, one wild pitch and five strikeouts.
The win was assigned to redshirt freshman reliever Gavin Jones, who improved his record to 2-0 on the season.
Jones pitched for 3.1 innings, allowing three hits, two walks, three strikeouts and surrendered no runs.
The offense was led by Johnson and Orr, who both had productive days.
Johnson went 1-3 with one single, two walks, three RBIs and two runs, while Orr was 2-3 with three walks, one triple, one single, two RBIs and two runs.
Every starter got a hit in the game, and the Flashes walked 11 times, but KSU was outhit 13-11.
Kent State has won five of its last six away from the home diamond, but the team is still significantly under .500 on the road this season (10-16).
Wednesday vs. Clarion
The start Wednesday went to redshirt freshman Andrew Hendrickx, whose night was cut short after two innings.
After a clean first inning, the starter allowed six runs to cross the plate in the second inning, as Clarion used RBI singles, an RBI double, an error and a double steal to take its 6-0 early lead.
The inning alone was more than the Flashes could produce throughout the entire game.
The Flashes added one run apiece in the second and third innings — both runs were scored on sacrifice flies, but Clarion extended its lead by two runs in the sixth inning.
An RBI single and a wild pitch gave Clarion an 8-2 lead before the Flashes got back on the board in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Another wild pitch allowed Reese to score from third.
Each team converted on one run in the seventh inning as Clarion used an RBI single, while KSU used a fielder’s choice.
An error allowed one last KSU run in the eighth, but the Golden Eagles got one more run of their own in the top of the ninth, and Clarion completed the 10-5 upset over KSU.
Hendrickx got the loss, his first game of record this season, as the pitcher is now 0-1 on the season.
He allowed six runs (two earned runs) on five hits, three walks, two wild pitches and one strikeout — he only collected six outs.
The bullpen was busy Wednesday, as the Flashes used five relief pitchers. They combined for seven innings, four runs, nine hits, six walks and 10 strikeouts.
No KSU player had a multi-RBI game, and Orr was the only Flashes player to have a multi-hit game.
The Flashes walked 10 times in the game but only collected seven hits.
Looking ahead
The Flashes will welcome MAC front-runner Bowling Green to Schoonover Stadium for a three-game set Friday.
The series will run Friday-Sunday.
BGSU is 22-12 overall this season and had a historic MAC run to start the season.
Earlier in the season, the Falcons were 15-0 in MAC play, which was the program’s best start to conference play and also the best start in MAC baseball history. The team is now 17-1 in conference matchups, with the one loss coming to Ohio University.
BGSU is 11-2 in its last 13 games, and seven of those games saw the Falcons scoring 10 or more runs.
Friday’s first pitch is set for 6 p.m.
The series against BGSU is crucial, as the Flashes will look to climb the MAC ladder with key conference victories.
The Flashes are four games out of second place in the conference.
John Hilber is assistant sports editor. Contact him at [email protected].
