Freshmen Hurlers, Longwell Lead Flashes over Coastal

Sunday, February 20

Conway, SC

3:00 PM

Kent State University

1-2

Coastal Carolina University

2-1

Kent State

Coastal Carolina

Photo by: David Dermer

Freshmen Hurlers, Longwell Lead Flashes over Coastal

2/20/2022 8:00:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

CONWAY, SC- Justin Kirby singled in the ninth to bring home Aidan Longwell, who also got the final six outs of the game, to help Kent State to a 2-1 victory over Coastal Carolina on Sunday afternoon.

Longwell played the first seven innings at first base before being called upon to head to the mound in relief for the eighth. His two innings of scoreless baseball capped a stellar day on the mound for the Golden Flashes. Freshmen Rocco Bernadina and Peyton Cariaco combined for the first seven innings with each making a stellar collegiate debut.

Bernadina went the first four and a third, allowing four hits and a run while striking out four. Cariaco threw two and two thirds of shutout relief, striking out three. The duo gave the Flashes a chance for the late-game heroics.

Justin Miknis got the Flashes on the board in the top of the first. Kent State took advantage of Kyle Jackson reaching on a dropped third strike, that extra out enabled Miknis to drive the lead-off man in from third. The lead would last until the third when Coastal tied the game on a run-scoring groundout.

Both teams had opportunities to break through the pitcher's dual. Cariaco got out of a bases loaded jam in the seventh while the Flashes couldn't take advantage of a Coastal error or a Justin Kirby base hit.

In the pivotal ninth, Longwell served a single to right and moved to second on a Miknis groundout. Michael McNamara was then intentionally walked, and after a strikeout, Kirby laced a single to left. Longwell beat the throw home with a slide to the back of the plate to avoid the tag. Longwell allowed a lead-off single in the bottom of the inning followed by a wild pitch that pushed the runner into scoring position. The lefty atoned for the wild pitch on a sac bunt attempt, springing off the mound and making a bare-handed field and throw to third to get the lead runner. Longwell put an exclamation point on his stellar performance by fanning Nick Lucky with runners on first and second to end it.

The win is Longwell's first of the season and moves the Flashes to 1-2 on the young season. Kent State heads to Lubbock next weekend for a three-game set with the Texas Tech Red Raiders. First pitch on Friday night is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.