OSU and Kent State coaches and players shake hands after the cancellation of an April 8 game at Bill Davis Stadium. The game was cancelled after the 4th inning due to weather.
Credit: Zoe Chrysochoos / Lantern photographer
Bolts and bats made an appearance at Bill Davis Stadium as the Ohio State baseball team took on its fourth in-state rival of the season, the Kent State Golden Flashes.
However, it was Mother Nature who won the contest after only 4 1/2 innings. The game was delayed at first before being canceled because of an intense amount of lightening that stormed into Columbus on Wednesday night.
Before the game was called, Kent State held an 8-4 lead in the first matchup between the in-state rivals since 2009.
“This was an intense game before it even started,” coach Greg Beals said. “It’s an in-state rival with a great program and our guys knew it was going to be good game. Both teams came out swinging and attacking the game early.”
The Buckeyes and Golden Flashes have not yet decided when or if the game will be rescheduled, but Beals said he was disappointed they didn’t finish. So far this season, the Buckeyes have battled back in the ninth in six games with walk-off hits.
“I’m disappointed we didn’t have the chance to come back. Our team has done that before and we were confident that we would come back,” Beals said. “(Kent State) had the momentum early in the game, but I certainly had confidence in our ball club to come back and get back into the game.”
The Buckeyes will still be rallying with a five-game winning streak when they return to Bill Davis Stadium for a weekend series against the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. The first game is set to begin at 6:35 p.m. Friday, with the Saturday game set to start at 3:05 p.m. and Sunday’s series finale set for 12:05 p.m.
