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University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
5-8, 1-6
Kent State
16-4, 6-1
Baseball Falls To Kent State In Game One
March 20, 2026 | Baseball
Sullivan recorded a triple and home run in the loss.
UMass fell to 5-8 overall on the season and 1-6 in the Mid-American Conference, while Kent State improved to 16-4 overall and 6-1 in the league.
Braden Sullivan led with two hits, which included his first triple of the season and second home run of the year. Anthony Tirado followed with one hit, recording his first collegiate triple. Sullivan scored two runs on the afternoon as Tirado had one. Reece McCarthy, Sullivan and Ryan Kolben all had one RBI each.
Kent State took an early 1-0 lead in the opening frame on a single to center field.
UMass tied it up in the second at 1-1. With one out, Sullivan tripled to deep center field, before Marc Willi took his place on first after being hit by a pitch. Kolben laid down a sacrifice bunt with Sullivan coming across the dish.
In the third, Tirado led off with a triple to deep right field. A sacrifice fly with one out from Reece McCarthy aided Tirado to cross home plate and give the Minutemen a 2-1 lead. Massachusetts added to its lead in the fourth with a solo home run to deep left field to make it a 3-1 game.
The Golden Flashes knotted up the game at three apiece with two runs scored in the sixth, before taking a 6-3 lead with three runs scored in the seventh. The Golden Flashes put up eight more in the top of the eighth to win 14-3.
Gavin Sitarz (1-1) took the loss for Massachusetts, tossing one complete inning with five hits, three runs, no walks and two strikeouts.
Gavin Jones (1-1) had the win for Kent State, allowing no runs, no hits, no walks and striking out two in two complete innings of work.
Massachusetts and Kent State prepare for game two of the series on Saturday, March 21, at 1 p.m. at Murren Family Field/ DiBenedetto Stadium in Hartford, Connecticut.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Jones, Gavin (1-1)
L: Sitarz, Gavin (1-1)
Batting:
2B: Marshall, Brady 2 ; Reese, Ripken 1
HR: Klotz, Hunter 1
RBI: Matthews, Luke 2 ; Marshall, Brady 2 ; Reese, Ripken 2 ; Humphrey, Max 1 ; Williams, Brody 1 ; Rienstra-Kirac, Micah 1 ; Klotz, Hunter 3
SF: Reese, Ripken 1 ; Humphrey, Max 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Matthews, Luke 1 ; Marshall, Brady 2 ; Reese, Ripken 1 ; Belcher, Nolan 2 ; Schaller, Kolton 1 ; Humphrey, Max 1 ; Thompson, Matt 1 ; Williams, Brody 1 ; Rienstra-Kirac, Micah 2 ; Klotz, Hunter 1 ; Solitaria, Sawyer 1
SB: Matthews, Luke 1 ; Marshall, Brady 2 ; Reese, Ripken 1 ; Schaller, Kolton 2 ; Humphrey, Max 1 ; Thompson, Matt 1 ; Solitaria, Sawyer 1
HBP: Schaller, Kolton 1 ; Williams, Brody 1
Batting:
3B: Sullivan, Braden 1 ; Tirado, Anthony 1
HR: Sullivan, Braden 1
RBI: Sullivan, Braden 1 ; McCarthy, Reece 1 ; Kolben, Ryan 1
SH: Kolben, Ryan 1
SF: McCarthy, Reece 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Sullivan, Braden 2 ; Tirado, Anthony 1
SB: Fox, Ty 1
CS: Bonior, Vance 1 ; Tirado, Anthony 1
HBP: Willi, Marc 1
