Flashes win weekend series over Broncos

Sophomore infielder Dylan Rosa, left, and junior infielder Sam Hurt, right, chase after a bouncing ball in the game versus Western Michigan University on Saturday, April 2, 2016. The Flashes won 9-7.

Zach Harley

After a surprising 5-4 loss on Friday to Western Michigan, the Flashes recorded two consecutive wins over the weekend to earn a win over the conference rival Broncos.

Four of the Broncos’ five runs Friday came with the unearned asterisk next to it. The asterisk didn’t help Flashes junior starter Eric Lauer, who went six and two-thirds innings, sitting down 11 while allowing five hits.

 Kent State finished the game with a 9-7 win on Saturday, which set the team up for a nice rubber match on Sunday afternoon for a 9-4 victory.

Sophomore Dylan Rosa lead thee way for the Flashes, going 3-3 with four runs batted in thanks to two bombs that found the stands.

The fourth inning was all Kent State needed on Sunday, as the Flashes put eight runs on the board and sent 13 men to the plate.

Senior Zarley Zalewski played rally starter once again, singling to right to start off the inning. After a couple walks and an out, it was junior Sam Hurt’s to turn to leave a mark on the game, shooting one to center to score two.

After a couple more runs, Zalewski was up again in his second at-bat of the inning. He scored a two RBI single to right to put the Flashes up 8-1. Back-to-back RBI hits by Rosa and Schuler cemented the inning and the game putting Kent State up 10-1 and making it too difficult for Western Michigan to make a comeback.

Kent State will walk out of the weekend with a 13-2 rubber match win against the Broncos team to win the series, two games to one.

The Flashes move to 4-2 in Mid-American Conference play and 19-8 overall on the season. Kent State’s long home-stretch will continue, as they have two one-gamers against Ohio State University (19-7) on Tuesday and Canisus College (12-15) on Wednesday.

Zach Harley is a sports reporter for The Kent Stater. Contact him at [email protected].