KENT, Ohio\u00a0\u2014 A five-run second inning and an eight-run eighth proved to be too much to overcome, as the Kent State Golden Flashes dropped a 13-4 decision to Pittsburgh on Tuesday afternoon at Schoonover Stadium. The loss snapped Kent State’s eight-game winning streak, dropping the Golden Flashes to 18-5 overall and 8-1 in MAC play.<\/p>\n
Pittsburgh wasted little time taking control. The Panthers sent eight batters to the plate in the second inning, capitalizing on four walks and a costly Kent State error to score five runs and chase starter Gavin Jones<\/a>, who was tagged for four runs, three earned on two hits while issuing four walks in just 1.2 innings. Sebastian Pisacreta opened the scoring with a run on a Julian Irizarry sacrifice fly, and the floodgates opened from there as Caden Dulin, Lorenzo Carrier, and Trey Fenderson all delivered RBI hits to make it 5-0 before the Flashes could record a third out.<\/p>\n Kent State got one back in the fourth when Ripken Reese<\/a> drove a solo home run down the right field line, but the Flashes’ offense was largely hampered by Pittsburgh starter Antonio Doganiero, who was outstanding over seven innings, allowing just one run on five hits while striking out four to earn his third win of the season.<\/p>\n With the game at 5-1, Pittsburgh’s eighth inning turned a manageable deficit into a rout. The Panthers sent ten batters to the plate and scored eight times, highlighted by a three-RBI single from Pisacreta and a pinch-hit grand slam by Jackson Cooke to center field that pushed the lead to 13-1.<\/p>\n The Flashes showed some fight in the bottom of the eighth when Kolton Schaller<\/a> launched a three-run home run to left field, scoring Micah Rienstra-Kiracofe<\/a> and Sawyer Solitaria<\/a> to make it 13-4. Schaller finished 1-for-4 with three RBI on the day, while Reese added his home run and RBI. Rienstra-Kiracofe and Solitaria each went 2-for-4 to lead the offense with two hits apiece.<\/p>\n The Kent State bullpen struggled in relief, with six pitchers combining to allow nine runs over 7.1 innings after Jones’ early exit.<\/p>\n Up Next<\/p>\n The Flashes return to MAC play this weekend, hosting the reigning MAC Champions Miami (OH) for a three-game series\u00a0Friday through Sunday, March 27-29, at Schoonover Stadium.<\/p>\n —<\/p>\n Be The Difference, Support the Baseball Excellence Fund<\/p>\n Support the baseball program today by donating to the Baseball Excellence Fund by\u00a0clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n Follow Kent State Baseball<\/p>\n For complete coverage of Kent State Baseball, download the official Kent State Golden Flashes app (iOS<\/a>,\u00a0Android<\/a>) and follow the Golden Flashes on social media on\u00a0X<\/a>,\u00a0Instagram<\/a>, and\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0for news and updates.<\/p>\n