KENT, Ohio -- Drew Devine was 4-for-5 with two doubles, but the Western Michigan baseball team dropped the opener of a four-game series at Kent State, 14-4, on Friday night.
Devine was joined in the multi-hit club by
Connor Charping (2-for-5),
Justin McIntyre (2-for-5, 2 RBI),
Blake Dunn (2-for-2, RBI, 2B, BB) and
Will Morrison (2-for-4, RBI).
Brandon Petersen took the loss for the Broncos, allowing four earned runs in 4.1 innings with five strikeouts. He did not issue a walk.
Cam Touchette and Justin Miknis paced Kent State at the plate. Touchette homered twice, driving in five. Miknis was 4-for-5 with 2 RBI and two runs scored. Jake Reifsnyder went 3-for-4 and scored three times. Jack Kartsonas got the win in relief for the Golden Flashes, throwing a scoreless 3.2 innings.
WMU jumped out to a 4-0 lead. McIntyre and Dunn each doubled home a run in the first before McIntyre added an RBI single in the second. Morrison delivered an RBI groundout in the third to make it 4-0.
Kent State got on the scoreboard with one run in the third and scored in every frame for the duration of the game. The Golden Flashes took the lead in the fifth when Touchette hit a two-run homer to make it 5-4 Kent State.
The Flashes then plated five runs in the sixth to open a 10-4 lead, keyed by two-run singles from Miknis and Nick Elsen. Touchette hit a three-run homer in the seventh before Kyle Jackson's RBI single made it 14-4 and ended the game in the eighth.
Western Michigan and Kent State will continue the four-game series on Saturday, May 22, with a doubleheader. First pitch of game one is set for 3 p.m. ET. The series concludes Sunday, May 23, at 1 p.m. ET.
