CSNbbs

For the third time in the past four years, Kent captured the Mid-American Conference tournament title Saturday to advance to the NCAA Tournament that begins next weekend.

Way to go Flashes!!!

This is especially nice because the team did not start out too well. How cool would it be to see the Flashes in the College World Series?

Congrats guys! Unfortunately, they are not good enough to make the CWS. The Southern and Western schools are just too good...

Although the CWS is a stretch, a win over the Irish next Friday would make my day! Hell, it would make my year!!

GO Flashes!!

C'mon Flashes. Beating ND will be tough...look for a low scoring game for the Flashes to win.

I have a friendly wager going where the winner picks the movie and loser pays. If the Flashes win, its on to Spiderman II . Go Flashes!!

Flashes stun the #1 seed Irish on their home field, 2-1!
Advance to the super regional semi-finals Saturday vs. Ariz. or UC Irvine.

<span style='font-family:Arial'><span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><span style='color:blue'><span style='color:yellow'>YES-S-S-S-S-SS!!!</span></span></span></span>

Great news from South Bend!! Way to go, Flashes!! Upset # 5 at ND. Tough to do.

Note: not the super regional, but the sub-regional. My mistake.

FlashFan Wrote:If the Flashes win, its on to&nbsp; Spiderman II .

Enjoy the movie FlashFan!

Go Flashes!!! We are proud of you!

I will enjoy the movie. I am trying hard not to be insufferable, so will try not to show it too much.

Hope we don't have to play the Irish again this weekend. They really do have a very good team.

Good news for the Flashes that the one and two seeds have already lost.

FWIW, this is the article from the South Bend paper. Prety fair coverage.

Quote:ND stunned in a flash
Kent State upends Irish 2-1 at Eck Stadium

By FORREST MILLER
Tribune Staff Writer
Kent State players celebrate their 2-1 upset victory over Notre Dame in the opening game of the NCAA South Bend Regional, Friday. Players are: Justin Laraway (14), Marshall Woods (35) and Phil Bojc (24).
Tribune Photo/JOE RAYMOND
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOUTH BEND -- Unable to cash in its few opportunities, Notre Dame faces an overwhelming task to survive its own NCAA regional tournament.

Kent State junior right-hander Andy Sonnanstine was dominant for seven innings Friday as the fourth-seeded Golden Flashes shocked top-seeded Notre Dame, 2-1, at Eck Stadium.

The Irish (49-11) are faced with the task of winning four games in two days, and will get started at 11 a.m. today against UC-Irvine, which lost to Arizona 7-3 in Friday's other game. Kent State (36-25) will take on Arizona at 3. The 11 a.m. winner will face the 3 p.m. loser at 7 for the right to advance to Sunday's finals.

Notre Dame had runners on second and third with one out twice, but couldn't score.

"What that kid (Sonnanstine) did was unusual,'' said Notre Dame coach Paul Mainieri. "He's got a lot of courage, and he throws a lot of sliders. Our game plan was to make him throw a lot, and it worked. He had 96 pitches after five innings. We knew we were going to have to hit the ball to the opposite field, but some of our kids didn't want to make the adjustment.''

Sonnanstine had 87 strikes among 135 pitches through seven innings. Kent State coach Rick Rembielak made the move to his closer Chad Wagler, who pitched two innings of perfect relief for his seventh save.

"I didn't want to come out, but our guys in the bullpen were ready,'' said Sonnanstine.

"What Andy did today against a high-powered offense, against the nation's No. 5 team on its home field, is a good reflection of what he has done all year,'' said Rembielak. "He gave them (Notre Dame) different looks.'

The only Notre Dame run was a gift, and the giver quickly retracted the present.

With one out in the seventh inning, Irish shortstop Greg Lopez singled. He dashed to third when Kent third baseman Matt Sega fielded Matt Macri's grounder and threw it over the head of first baseman Chad Kinyon.

Steve Sollmann, after fouling off three 0-2 pitches, then plated Lopez with a fly ball.

That was it for the Irish offense.

Sega turned hero in the next inning.

His leadoff double off Irish starter Chris Niesel set up what proved to be the winning run. After one out, freshman catcher Will Vazquez singled to right, scoring Sega.

"He missed with a fast ball, and I was waiting for another,'' said Vasquez.

The Flashes took a 1-0 lead in the sixth. Adam Crowder singled, advanced on a bunt by Eric Holick and scored on a hit by Andrew Davis. The next batter, Kinyon, also singled to extend his hitting streak to 21 games.

This is the first time in Mainieri's 11 seasons at Notre Dame that the Irish have ever lost the first game of a regional.

Hits by Matt Bransfield and Javi Sanchez gave the Irish a two-out chance in the first, but Steve Andres flied out. In the third, a leadoff hit by Lopez and a one-out double by Sollmann created another chance. But Sonnanstine struck out Bransfield and Sanchez.

Cody Rizzo walked to start the fifth. A bunt by Lopez and a wild pitch advanced Rizzo to third, but nothing developed. Andres doubled with one out in the sixth, but Craig Cooper flied out and Matt Edward struck out.

"Our defense was spectacular, but we couldn't get the hits,'' added Mainieri. "Now we have to do it the hard way. I tip my hat to that kid, (Sonnanstine).''

Sollmann made two exceptional defensive plays at second base.

Niesel allowed nine hits, struck out four and walked one. He threw 107 pitches, 72 for strikes.

Attedance was 2,117, the most ever for a regional game at Eck Stadium, and the fourth largest crowd at the facility.

Did we not lose 2-3 underclass players to the majors this year? If so, we could have been really good.

Think I read that Andy Sonnanstine is draft eligible this year. His last three games must have raised his stock.
Still, hope he sticks around. My impression was that other than Andy, starting pitching was a weak point.