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Shane Wolf

BUFFALO, NY - Kent State may be struggling and currently in ninth place in the Mid-American Conference, where only the top six teams make the conference tournament, but it is still the defending MAC champions.

Kent State showed a bit of that championship flare on Friday afternoon, as it scored five runs in the first two innings with two outs and senior Jason Brunke tossed eight innings of three-hit ball to down the University at Buffalo, 9-2, at Amherst Audubon Field.

Brunke (3-3) tossed eight innings, allowing only a single tally in the sixth inning although he struggled with wildness all game, walking five and hitting two. He struck out five and left eight runners stranded.

The Golden Flashes (24-14 overall, 5-6 MAC) scored three runs with two outs in the first inning as Andrew Davis and Drew Saylor hit back-to-back doubles before Kurt Eichorn and Todd Balduf singled to plate three runs. In the second inning, Davis delivered a two-out single to right field to drive in two runs, giving Kent State a 5-0 lead.

After Kent State added a run in the sixth, Buffalo (12-22-1 overall, 1-7-1 MAC) managed to scrap a run across in the bottom half of the frame. Senior center fielder Phil Vanhorne (Scarborough, Ontario/Mother Teresa) walked and senior shortstop Joe Mihalics (Tonawanda, NY/Timon-St.Jude) singled to lead off. After a flyout allowed Vanhorne to move up, sophomore Dan Quinn (Hamburg, NY/Frontier) was hit by a pitch for the second time to load the bases. A fielder's choice brought Vanhorne home.

Kent State added three more runs in the eighth inning, as Andy Hargrove, son of Seattle Mariners manager Mike Hargrove, and Chuck Moore each hit doubles in the frame.

Andrew Wengert

Senior right fielder Andrew Wengert (Utica, NY/Proctor) doubled with one out in the ninth inning and after a groundout moved him to third, he scored when freshman third baseman Mike Folli (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) dribbled a ball past the first baseman to conclude the scoring.

Junior Matt Johnson (Montague, MI/Montague/Grand Rapids CC) (2-4) took the loss, going two innings and allowing seven hits and five runs. Freshman Shane Wolf (Freeville, NY/Lansing) pitched three innings of one-hit relief, walking two and striking out three. Senior Anthony Marchioli (Buffalo, NY/West Seneca West/Erie CC) threw two innings, allowing one hit and striking out two after freshman Chris Ciesla (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) allowed four runs in two-plus innings.

The top four batters in Kent State's lineup went a combined 9-for-19. Tucker went 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI. Davis went 2-for-5 with a run and two RBIs and Saylor went 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI.

Mihalics went 2-for-4 for the Bulls, who managed six hits, three in the last inning against Shane Curry.

Buffalo and Kent State meet at 1:00 pm on Saturday for the second game of the three-game set at Amherst Audubon Field.