.png&type=webp)
University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
5-10, 1-8
Kent State
18-4, 8-1
Massachusetts Baseball Edged By Kent State, 9-8
March 22, 2026 | Baseball
Briggs recorded a career-best three home runs in the loss.
UMass fell to 5-10 overall on the season and 1-8 in the Mid-American Conference, while Kent State improved to 18-4 overall and 8-1 in the league.
Ty Fox went 4-for-5 to lead the Minutemen, including a double, with two RBI and a run. Will Briggs was 3-for-4 on the day with a career-best three home runs. He tallied a team-best three RBI and four runs. Anthony Tirado followed with two hits, including a double, and a run, while Gavin O'Brien registered a triple. Marc Willi and O'Brien had one RBI each.
After a scoreless opening frame, Kent State scored four in the top of the second to take the early 4-0 lead.
With one out in the bottom of the second, Briggs homered for the third time this season to left field to put Massachusetts on the board, 4-1.
Briggs hit his second home run of the day, and fourth of the season, to cut the Minutemen's deficit in half, 4-2 in the fourth.
The Golden Flashes put up four runs in the fifth to extend their lead to 8-2.
UMass added two runs in the seventh to cut Kent State's lead in half, 8-4. The bottom of the eighth saw the Minutemen score three runs. An RBI single from Willi helped Briggs cross the plate, before a wild pitch allowed Randen May to come across the dish and make it an 8-6 game. Fox then doubles to deep right field to score Dean Gobeil from second and close the gap to 8-7.
A sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth gave the Golden Flashes another run to make it a 9-7 contest.
In the bottom half of the final inning, Justin Masteralexis (0-2) had the loss for Massachusetts, allowing four runs on two hits, five walks and five strikeouts in four complete innings.
Ben Rabatin (3-0) earned the win for Kent State after tossing six complete innings and giving up two runs on six hits, two walks and dealing seven strikeouts.
Massachusetts travels to Albany, New York, for a midweek contest against UAlbany on Tuesday, March 24, at 3 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Rabatin, Ben (3-0)
L: Masteralexis, Justin (0-2)
S: Holewinski, Evan (3)
Batting:
2B: Matthews, Luke 1 ; Belcher, Nolan 1 ; Humphrey, Max 1 ; Rienstra-Kirac, Micah 1
HR: Reese, Ripken 1 ; Solitaria, Sawyer 1
RBI: Matthews, Luke 1 ; Marshall, Brady 1 ; Reese, Ripken 1 ; Covas, Alejandro 1 ; Rienstra-Kirac, Micah 2 ; Solitaria, Sawyer 2
SH: Matthews, Luke 1 ; Marshall, Brady 1
SF: Marshall, Brady 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Marshall, Brady 2 ; Reese, Ripken 1 ; Belcher, Nolan 1 ; Covas, Alejandro 2 ; Humphrey, Max 1 ; Rienstra-Kirac, Micah 1 ; Solitaria, Sawyer 1
SB: Marshall, Brady 1 ; Rienstra-Kirac, Micah 3
CS: Rienstra-Kirac, Micah 1
HBP: Reese, Ripken 1 ; Schaller, Kolton 1 ; Covas, Alejandro 1 ; Solitaria, Sawyer 1
Batting:
2B: Tirado, Anthony 1 ; Fox, Ty 1
3B: O'Brien, Gavin 1
HR: Briggs, Will 3
RBI: O'Brien, Gavin 1 ; Willi, Marc 1 ; Fox, Ty 2 ; Briggs, Will 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Tirado, Anthony 1 ; Gobeil, Dean 1 ; Fox, Ty 1 ; Briggs, Will 4 ; May, Randen 1
SB: May, Randen 1
