Looking beyond the Massachusetts baseball team, there has been a lot of recent baseball action around the Mid-American Conference to get excited about as teams enter the heart of conference play.
Kent State sweeps Ohio to claim first place in the MAC
Kent State displayed why they sit atop the standings with a dominant three-game sweep over Ohio. The Golden Flashes are now 12-3 in MAC play, and 23-7 overall, which includes a huge series victory over SEC heavy weight Tennessee.
In the opening game against the Bobcats, Kent State scored five runs in the ninth to pull away for the 11-5 win. Five players produced two RBI’s each. Ripken Reese produced a double and a triple, and Sawyer Solitaria added a double and home run.
In game two, Reese and Solitaria continued their hot hitting, combining for five hits and three RBI’s as the Golden Flashes powered to another 15-1 victory. Easton Tumis dominated Ohio hitters with six strikeouts and one walk in five innings of work to improve to a 5-2 record.
Kent State finished off the sweep with a 16-2 blowout win in game three. Ten batters manufactured hits, including Reece and Solitaria who both homered again. Golden Flashes pitcher Ben Rabatin improved to 4-0, while Evan Holewinski threw three shutout innings.
Reese went 9-15 on the weekend with five extra base hits, while Solitaria leads the squad with a .342 average and 10 home runs. Kent State will face off against the University of Northern Illinois next.
Toledo cruised past Eastern Michigan in dominant fashion
Toledo moved into second place in the MAC with three decisive wins over Eastern Michigan in early April.
In the opener, Nathan Leininger improved to 6-0 by overwhelming Eagles hitters with eight strikeouts to lead the Rockets to a 10-2 win. Toledo’s leadoff hitter Cade Baker went 4-5, and five hitters added multiple hits for the Rockets.
Toledo scored early and held on to win the second game 6-4. Once again, Baker led the way at the plate with two hits, including a home run, while catcher Jacob Payne also hit a long ball with three RBI’s. Hayden Frey scattered five hits, and Michael Fliss recorded a three-inning save.
The Rockets closed out the series sweep in dominant fashion with a 23-8 victory, which included scoring 14 runs in the fifth inning. Troy Sudbrook hit a home run and had five RBI’s, while Charlie Scholvin added two hits and four RBI’s.
Toledo improved their MAC record to 11-4, and will travel to Western Michigan this coming weekend.
Miami (OH) swept Ball State in decisive fashion
Miami (OH) moved into a four-way tie for third place in the MAC, with a strong showing over Ball State.
In game one, Tommy Harrison obtained three hits, three RBI’s and a home run, as the RedHawks pulled away late to beat the Cardinals 14-4. Zac Sohosky improved to 3-0 with the win.
Miami (OH) scored 20 runs on 14 hits and four home runs in game two. Harrison had three hits and seven RBI’s, while Ignacio Gonzalez had two hits and three RBI’s. Clayton Burke threw a complete game to improve to 4-1 on the season.
In the series finale, Carson Raether homered to deep center field in the bottom of the eighth to give the RedHawks the 7-6 victory. Harrison hit a deep ball for the third game in a row, and is now hitting .420 with 10 home runs, while teammate Evan Appelwick leads the MAC with 11 home runs.
Miami (OH) is now 20-10 overall, and 10-5 in the MAC going into their home series versus Ohio this weekend.
Lily Woodworth can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @woodworth_lily.
