The University of Akron Athletics
Golden Flashes Rally Past Zips, 6-2
April 20 | Baseball
AKRON - Kent State rallied for five runs in the top of the ninth to defeat Akron, 6-2, in a Mid-American Conference baseball game Friday afternoon at chilly Lee Jackson Field.
Kent State improves to 12-20, 7-5 in the MAC. The Zips slide to 6-24, 2-10 in the MAC.
Originally scheduled to start at 3 o'clock, the game was delayed one hour because of rain. The two teams play a doubleheader at Kent's Gene Michael Field tomorrow beginning at 1 o'clock and meet again Sunday in Akron at 1.
After falling behind 2-1 in the bottom of the eighth, the Golden
Flashes bunched four singles, four walks and a sacrifice fly to
erupt for five runs against Akron relief pitcher Dan Swallie.
Catcher Pat O'Brien walked to lead-off the inning. Third baseman
Phil LoCascio, seemingly content to sacrifice O'Brien to second,
rolled a bunt into the �Bermuda Triangle� between the
mound and first base to put runners at first and second with no
outs. In all, 11 batters stepped to the plate for Kent in the
ninth.
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It was Swallie who entered the game with two outs and the bases loaded in the top of the eighth and fanned KSU first baseman Tom Martin to preserve a 1-1 score. Akron then took the lead when catcher Sean Manfredonia walked to start the bottom of the eighth. Shortstop Clarke White sacrificed Manfredonia to second. With two outs, first baseman Jim Gemler's laced the ball up the middle. It was deflected by KSU pitcher John VanBenschoten and headed for left field when shortstop Chris Detweiler dove and knocked it down. Detweiler threw behind Manfredonia, who has taken a wind turn at third, but the the throw was wild and hit the Kent dugout, allowing the Zip catcher to score the go-ahead run.
The loss wasted a great outing by Akron's freshman hurler Aaron Gangi. The young southpaw worked into the eighth, struck out eight and yielded just one run - a VanBenschoten home run in the fourth which tied the game at 1. Dustin Sampson started for KSU and faced one batter in the seventh before giving way to VanBenschoten, now 2-1.
The Zips took a 1-0 lead in the second when second baseman Brady Steineck walked with the bases loaded to score White.
Akron Box (AB-R-H-RBI)
Steineck 2b 4-0-0-1, Moorhead rf 5-0-0-0, Bowers cf 4-0-1-0,
Manfredonia c 2-1-1-0, White ss 3-1-1-0, Swallie dh/p 3-0-1-0,
Gemler 1b 2-0-1-0, Welch 3b 2-0-0-0, Pederi lf 4-0-1-0, Gangi p
0-0-0-0.
Akron pitching (IP-H-R-ER-BB-SO)
Gangi 7.2-4-1-1-3-8
Swallie 1.1-4-5-5-4-1
