CBD Photo Gallery: Kent State Gets First Win, Beat USD 9-5

Sawyer Polen avoids a runner while trying to turn a double play.SAN DIEGO — Following up a trip to Omaha isn’t easy, but Kent State didn’t expect it to take this long to get its first win. Finally in their seventh game of the season the Golden Flashes (1-6) got into the win column.

Kent State took the second game of a doubleheader at San Diego’s Fowler Park 9-5 after dropping the first game 18-11. Justin Wagler and Zarley Zalewski both homered as the Golden Flashes jumped out to a 6-1 lead against San Diego (2-4) starter Max MacNabb.

From there, Kent State just answered every San Diego threat with runs of its own. When the Toreros scored a run in the fifth inning, the Golden Flashes scored one the next half inning. They did it again the next inning. San Diego trimmed the lead to 7-5, but Kent State answered with two runs.

Taylor Williams got the win. He allowed eight hits and five runs (three earned) in seven innings, but he dominated San Diego’s top offensive threats Louis Lechich, Kris Bryant and Dillon Haupt. Six of Williams eight strikeouts were due to the trio, including giving Bryant the hat trick.

Check out the 12-shot photo gallery from Saturday afternoon’s game:

  • Taylor Williams delivers.
  • Austin Bailey starts the double play.
  • Zarley Zalewski comes home.
  • Derek Toadvine lays down a bunt.
  • Max MacNabb can't get the tag.
  • Max MacNabb delivers.
  • Derek Toadvine fields a chopper.
  • Kris Bryant flips to the pitcher.
  • Sawyer Polen throws to first.
  • Chris Woolley tries to avoid a pitch.
  • Zarley Zalewski flips to the pitcher.
  • Sawyer Polen avoids a runner while trying to turn a double play.
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About Shotgun Spratling

Shotgun Spratling covers the Southern California area where he attended 75 games during the 2012 season. He attended grad school at USC where he covered USC sports for Neon Tommy, South LA Intersections, Annenberg TV News, KSCR and the Trojan Vision debate show Platforum Sports. He has worked with the Princeton Devil Rays minor league team, written for daily and weekly newspapers and done freelance work for publications such as ESPN, NBC Los Angeles and the SC Playbook magazine. After being a 3-sport letterman in high school, he was a 4-year letterman at Division III Maryville College where he concluded his collegiate career by inducing a ground out to end the 2007 Great South Athletic Conference Tournament and gave the Scots the GSAC championship. He also spent the 2010 summer in Cape Town, South Africa covering sports for the Cape Community Papers during the first FIFA World Cup held on African soil.