The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Kent State
Baseball Splits Doubleheader with Kent State on Friday
May 16 | Baseball
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KENT, Ohio – The University of Akron (25-27, 12-14 MAC) baseball team split the day-night doubleheader with Mid-American Conference rival Kent State University (31-21, 15-11 MAC) on Friday at Schoonover Stadium on the KSU campus. Akron won the first game, 8-7, but fell in the nightcap, 5-4.
Game one featured an offensive display for the Zips as UA recorded 11 base hits, including multi-hit games from Devan Ahart, Matt Rembielak and Billy Salem. Ahart led the mob with a 4-for-4 performance, tying his career-high, with three RBI and one double.
Akron opened up the offensive effort with a three-run third inning. Salem registered a RBI single, Ahart notched a RBI double and Kris Simonton drove in a run on a sacrifice fly to take a 3-0 advantage over KSU.
Lefty John Valek III made the start on the mound for the Zips, and retired the first six batters to start the game. However, KSU added a run in the third, cutting Akron's lead to two.
The opposite for both offenses occurred in the fourth inning with Akron scoring once and Kent State plating three runs to tie the contest at 4-4. UA's lone run in the fourth came off the bat of Matt LaRocca, who hit a solo homerun to leftfield, his fourth of the season.
Unrelenting, the Zips posted another three-run rally in the top of the fifth inning. James Sheltrown led off the frame with a walk, which was followed by a double to right by Salem. Ahart lifted a sac fly to right to score Sheltrown from third for the first run of the inning.
Simonton notched a run-scoring single to left, plating Salem, before Rembielak ripped a RBI double down the leftfield line, scoring Simonton from first base.
Valek posted a zero in the fifth and sixth to hold the Zips lead at 7-4. Akron's offense spotted Valek with another run in the seventh on a Rembielak RBI single to increase the lead to four. The southpaw ran into some trouble in the sixth, allowing two runs. Freshman Josh Davis minimized the threat, and ended the inning on a swinging strikeout.
Myles McVeigh came out of the bullpen for the eighth inning, and worked a scoreless frame with one strikeout. McVeigh was removed in the ninth as he allowed Kent State to put runners on second and third with Akron clinging to a 8-6 lead.
Akron looked to LaRocca to close out the game with one out in the ninth. LaRocca allowed a RBI single to the first batter he faced to cut Akron's lead to one, which was tagged to McVeigh. The right-hander was able to end the game on the fifth pitch of the at-bat with a 5-4-3 double play to clinch the 8-7 victory. LaRocca now has five saves in 2014.
Valek, a Parkland, Fla., native, improved his record to 5-4 with the win. He finished the game with 6.1 innings pitched, six runs allowed and one strikeout. His ERA raised to 2.96 in the series opener.
Game two proved to be equally as dramatic, despite the loss. Sophomore JT Brubaker was on the hill for the start, turning in 7.0 innings with five hits, four runs allowed, one strikeout and three walks.
Kent State jumped out to a three-run lead in the bottom of the third with a three-run rally off of Brubaker. However, the Zips fought right back with three runs of their own in the top of the fourth to tie the game at 3-3.
Brubaker allowed his fourth run of the game in the bottom of the fifth, giving KSU a 4-3 advantage.
Freshman Masashi Sakamoto took over on the mound at the bottom of the eighth, and hurled three strikeouts in order to end the frame. Sakamoto's ERA dropped to 1.72 with the scoreless outing.
In the top of the ninth, Matt LaRoccawas first to reach base on a strikeout wild pitch. Danny Lawrence pinch ran for LaRocca and quickly advanced to second on a wild pitch. Following the wild pitch, Sheltrown was plunked for his team-leading 17th hit-by-pitch of the season.
With runners on first and second, Salem ripped a double to center, scoring Lawrence from second base and tying the game at 4-4. Ahart was intentionally walked to load the bases, but the frame ended on a groundout to short by Simonton.
Redshirt junior Andrew Fanning was tagged with the loss, as Kent State's Jon Wilson notched a single to centerfield with the bases loaded. Fanning allowed one walk and one hit in the 5-4 loss, bringing his season record to 2-2.
Akron and Kent State will finish up the regular season on Saturday at 6 p.m., in Schoonover Stadium.
The final points of 2013-14 are up for grabs this weekend in the third-annual PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge, as Akron and Kent State compete in baseball and track and field. Kent State currently leads, 6.5. to 5.5, with three points yet to be determined.
