Baseball 3/12/2006 7:00:00 PM UNCGSpartans.com

Kent State uses long ball to down UNCG 11-5 in baseball action

Box Score

GREENSBORO, NC Kent State leftfielder Kurt Eichorn went 3-for-3 with two home runs and five RBI as the Golden Flashes powered past UNC Greensboro 11-5 to claim a 2-1 series victory Sunday afternoon at UNCG Baseball Stadium.

Eichorn struck for his first roundtripper in the top if the first to put the Golden Flashes out in front 2-0. After UNCG starting pitcher Jonathan Nichols retired the first two batters he faced, Drew Saylor reached base after being hit by a pitch before Eichorn crushed a 1-1 pitch over the centerfield wall for his fourth home run of the season.

Kent State (7-5) extended its lead to 3-0 in the top of the third when Joe Tucker scored on a sacrifice fly from Eichorn. Tucker led off the frame with a single to leftfield and then stole second and third before touching home on Eichorn's fly to center.

UNCG (4-12) tallied its first run of the afternoon when junior Jermaine Mitchell collected the first Spartan hit and extended his hitting streak to ten games in the process with a triple to left centerfield. Guy Welsh picked up his team-leading 13th RBI of the season when he plated Mitchell on a sacrifice fly to centerfield.

The Golden Flashes scored another three runs in the top of the sixth to take a 6-1 highlighted by a two-run double to rightfield off the bat of catcher Todd Balduf. The Spartans answered with two runs of their own in the home half of the sixth on a single to rightfield by Brandon Harvey to score Welsh and Logan Smith.

Kent State used a pair of home runs in the seventh inning to score another four runs and essentially put the game out of reach. Saylor opened the inning with a double and Eichorn followed with a towering home run to straight away centerfield for his second four bagger of the game. Balduf, who like Eichorn, collected five RBI on the day, laced a two-run home run to leftfield to give the Golden Flashes a 10-3 lead after seven and a half innings of play.

The Spartans managed two more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on an RBI groundout from David Adams and a single by Harvey. Harvey finished the afternoon going 2-for-3 with three runs driven in.

Starting pitcher John Pacella (1-0) earned the win for the Golden Flashes after allowing one run on two hits in five innings on the hill. UNCG starting hurler Jonathan Nichols (0-2) took the loss after allowing two runs on one hit in 1-2/3 of work on the mound.

UNCG returns to action Wednesday when the Spartans travel to Raleigh to take on in-state and ACC foe North Carolina State at 4 p.m.

AGATE:

Kent State 11, UNC Greensboro 5 (Mar 12, 2006 at Greensboro, NC)

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Kent State.......... 201 003 401 - 11 11 0 (7-5)

UNC Greensboro...... 000 102 020 - 5 9 0 (4-12)

Pitchers: Kent State - Pacella; Smith(6); A. Davis(9). UNC Greensboro - Jonathan Nichols;

Clinton McKinney(2); Greg Martin(6); Patrick Currin(6); Clark Erskine(7); Clay Gibson(7);

Ryan Clear(9).

Win-Pacella(1-0) Loss-Jonathan Nichols(0-2) T-2:50 A-297

HR KSU - Eichorn 2; Balduf.

Erskine faced 2 batters in the 7th.