AVON, Ohio — No. 2 Kent State (42-14) secured a 6–1 victory over No. 5 Western Michigan (27-25) in a win-or-go home matchup during the 2026 MAC Baseball Championship at ForeFront Field on Friday.
The Golden Flashes went 2-0 on the day after defeating top-seeded Miami, 1-0, in the first game of the day.
Their offense was highlighted by a three-run seventh inning, contributing to their 12-hit performance. The pitching staff held the Broncos to just four hits while allowing one earned run over nine innings.
The Golden Flashes will play the loser between No. 3 Toledo and No. 4 Northern Illinois on Saturday, May 23 at 12:30 PM ET on ESPN+.
Kent State's standout players included Alejandro Covas, who showcased impressive offensive skills, recording four hits, three RBIs, and a home run in the game.
Luke Matthews contributed significantly with two runs scored, enhancing the team's performance. Sawyer Solitaria added to the offensive effort with two hits and one RBI.
On the mound, Ben Rabatin earned a win with a strong showing, pitching 5 1/3 innings while allowing only one earned run. Caden Leonard secured a save, pitching 2 1/3 hitless innings, ensuring the team's victory.
Western Michigan's Tanner Mally made an impact at the plate with a double in his lone hit appearance, setting the stage for the offense.
Drew Howard, the senior second baseman, demonstrated patience and effectiveness with two hits and a walk, reaching base in three of his four plate appearances. Behind the plate, sophomore catcher Nolan Zajac contributed defensively by catching two base stealers, showcasing his defensive capabilities.
On the mound, junior pitcher Sam Carlisle completed five innings, striking out three while allowing three earned runs, displaying resilience despite taking the loss. Senior pitcher DJ Thompson provided a strong finish, pitching a scoreless inning with two strikeouts, solidifying his role in the bullpen. These players highlighted their skills in both offensive and defensive facets of the game.
Postgame Quotes
Kent State head coach Jeff Duncan
"We played really good baseball. Sometimes our guys were tired, which might be good in an atmosphere like this. They played really good baseball. They're very calm. They extended ABs, especially in the second game game of our doubleheader here today, our bats get going. It was great to see Brody Williams, Sawyer Solitaria, and then what can you say, Alejandro Covas, 4-4 with a big three-run homer in the 7th, and Luke Matthews, our leadoff hitter, getting on base, things like that. It's really good to see our offense get going. Our defense. It was good, minus one little mishap in the 6th or 7th inning, but we played really good defense. It was great to see. We got a great start from Ben Rabatin, and then our bullpen held him off. It was great.
"Our pitching staff has been the best pitching staff in the league through the regular season. Very confident, very good. They did their job. Ben Rabatin was really good and it was good to see him because he wasn't landing his secondary early in the game and then he got a feel for it in about the 3rd or 4th inning and it bought us a couple more innings with him. For us to get more innings out of Ben Rabatin was huge. We got two quality starts today and our bullpen did a really good job. I feel good, we've got some arms ready to go tomorrow as well."
