Bowling Green State University Athletics
Kent State Repeats As MAC Tournament Champion
May 26, 2002 | Baseball
May 26, 2002
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Kent State University scored five runs in both the first and third innings en route to a 13-4 victory over Ball State University Sunday afternoon (May 26). The victory gave the Golden Flashes the Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament title at Bowling Green's Steller Field.
With the win, KSU (37-20) also earns the MAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. BSU drops to 34-23 on the year.
The Golden Flashes win the MAC tourney crown for the second consecutive year and the fourth time in school history. In addition to the past two titles, KSU also captured the tournament crown in 1992 and 1993.
The game, which began Saturday (May 25), was halted due to inclement weather. The Golden Flashes held a 10-4 lead over the Cardinals when the game was stopped at the end of the fourth inning. After a delay of an hour and 29 minutes, the contest was suspended until Sunday.
After BSU got a run in the top of the first inning Saturday, the first six KSU batters of the game had hits in the bottom of the inning.
KSU's Eric O'Brien began the onslaught, lining BSU starter Michael Penn's first pitch for a single. Then, Phil LoCascio hit a high chopper over the third baseman's head, and Chris Welsch hit a three-run homer to leftfield.
Pat O'Brien singled, and Brady Glass followed with a homer that ended Penn's outing. Tom Martin greeted reliever Luke Hagerty with a double, but Hagerty retired the next three batters to end the inning.
The Cardinals scored two runs in the top of the third, as Matt Deckman beat out the relay throw to first on a fielder's choice, with Ben Schroeder scoring on the play. The second run came on a bases-loaded walk to Kiel Holman. But, KSU put another five-spot on the board in the bottom of the third.
All five third-inning markers were unearned. Martin doubled to lead off the inning, and Casey Ellis followed with a double. Martin, who held up to make sure the ball would not be caught, was able to advance just one base on the Ellis hit.
Then, Hagerty walked Chad Kinyon to load the bases. But, it appeared the BSU hurler would get out of the jam after he got Holick and Eric O'Brien to pop up and strike out, respectively. With two outs, LoCascio hit a grounder to third, but Holman's throw sailed wide of first, allowing two runs to score.
Kinyon then scored on a wild pitch, before Welsch crushed a pitch over the trees beyond the left-field fence. Brian Lynch replaced Hagerty and got a popup to end the inning.
The Cardinals manufactured a run in the fourth, as Jason Bucholtz led off with an infield hit, took second on a wild pitch, moved to third on a fly-ball out and scored on Paul Henry's single.
KSU's Jason Biniker allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits in the game's first four innings. For BSU, Penn allowed five runs on five hits, while Hagerty gave up five hits and five runs -- all unearned -- in his two-and-two-thirds innings of action. Lynch pitched a hitless inning and a third.
When play resumed, both teams had new pitchers in the game. Dirk Hayhurst took over for Kent State, while Henry moved from shortstop to the mound for BSU. The two pitchers threw matching zeroes until KSU broke through with three runs in the bottom of the seventh.
In that frame, Ellis hit a leadoff homer to left, giving the Flashes an 11-4 lead. Then, LoCascio doubled to the gap in right-center to score Eric Holick. LoCascio came home to score the final run of the game on Welsch's single.
Hayhurst (8-3) shut the Cardinals down in the ninth to clinch the title. The KSU junior won his second game of the tournament with a scoreless five innings. He allowed three hits and walked three batters while striking out six.
Penn took the loss, dropping to 1-2. Henry pitched the final four innings for the Cards, allowing three runs on five hits. He walked one batter and fanned three.
The Flashes outhit the Cardinals by a 15-11 count. Welsch led the way in the championship contest, going 3-for-3 with the two homers and six RBI. LoCascio, Ellis, Martin and Pat O'Brien each had two-hit games.
Henry and Snyder each had three hits for BSU, while Deckman had a pair of RBI.
KSU's Welsch, Brady Glass, Hayhurst and Martin were named to the all-tournament team. Ball State was represented by Schroeder, Snyder, Doug Boone and Adam Metzler, with Snyder being named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
Central Michigan's Tim Bullinger and Miami's Michael Carlin rounded out the all-tourney team.
