Kent State Baseball Evens The Score With Toledo

Mace puts together his best start of the season while the heart of Kent State's batting order comes up big in win.

TOLEDO, Ohio – Last week against Toledo at Olga A. Mural Field at Schoonover Stadium, the Kent State baseball team just couldn't find a way to produce enough runs to come away with a victory.

The Golden Flashes made sure history didn't repeat itself on the road at Scott Park a week later.

Kent State bested Toledo, 8-4, Wednesday (April 4) to even the home-and-home midweek non-conference season series.

The Golden Flashes (15-13) have won seven of their last 10 games thanks to the victory over the Rockets (12-16).

Four of Kent State's five hitters at the top of the batting order produced multi-hit games while senior right-handed starting pitcher Ryan Mace (Tallmadge, Ohio) put together his best outing of the 2012 season to date to pick up his first pitching victory of the year

The Flashes jumped out to an early lead thanks to a three-run second inning. Sophomore right fielder T.J. Sutton (Uniontown, Ohio) got things rolling with a leadoff double down the right field line. Redshirt sophomore left fielder Troy Summers (Minerva, Ohio) followed by reaching on an error, and both he and Sutton moved up 90 feet on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore second baseman Derek Toadvine. Sutton scored on an RBI ground out by junior center fielder Evan Campbell (Beloit, Ohio). Summers made it 2-0 when he scored on a double down the left field line by senior shortstop Jimmy Rider (Venetia, Pa.). Rider scored the game's third run when senior catcher David Lyon (Emporium, Pa.) reached on an error.

Toledo got a run back in home half of the second and another in the bottom of the fourth, but Kent State countered with a run in the top of the fifth as Lyon coaxed a one-out walk, moved to second on a single to right by junior first baseman George Roberts (Summerhill, Pa.) and scored on a single back up the middle by redshirt junior third baseman Nick Hamilton (Avon Lake, Ohio).

The Golden Flashes broke the contest open by scoring four more in the sixth to give Mace a 8-1 lead to depart with after he fanned six and issued no walks in six frames of work. Toadvine smacked a one-out single up the middle, then stole second. Campbell drew a walk to put two on. Rider followed with a single down the right field line to plate Toadvine. Lyon drove in Campbell with a double down the left field line. Rider scored on a balk, and Roberts singled home Lyon with a hit up the middle.

Toledo scored another run in the seventh and another in the ninth, but sophomore righty Dan Slavik (St. Clairsville, Ohio), redshirt freshman right hander Josh Pierce (Avon, Ohio) and junior righty Casey Wilson (Sagamore Hills, Ohio) combined to preserve the victory for the Flashes out of the bullpen.

Rider and Campbell led the Flashes at the plate with three hits apiece and Roberts and Hamilton each added two more.

Kent State looks to continue its white-hot start to conference play when it hosts MAC East Division foe Buffalo this weekend (April 6-8) at Olga A. Mural Field at Schoonover Stadium.