Western Reserve’s Andrew Chafin, a redshirt sophomore left-handed starting pitcher at Kent State, struck out 13 batters and dominated Central Michigan for eight innings, but it wasn’t enough, as Central Michigan rallied with runs in the eighth and ninth inning to beat the Golden Flashes, 2-1 in a Mid-American Conference game at Theunissen Stadium.

The loss ended Kent State’s season-long 11-game winning streak (22-11, 8-2) as the Flashes also suffered their first defeat in the month of April.

"It was a tough game to lose," said seventh-year Kent State head coach Scott Stricklin. "Andrew Chafin certainly deserved to win, and we had our opportunities. We just didn’t execute."

Chafin kept the Chippewas off balance all afternoon, pitching eight innings of four-hit ball while compiling 13 strikeouts with no walks.

"We thought he’d pile up some strikeouts because they’re a very aggressive team, and he did," Stricklin said. "It was a tough day to pitch with the wind blowing all over the place. It says a lot about him and how tough he is."

swalker@MorningJournal.com