AP Sports Preview

KENT STATE AT TOLEDO

TOLEDO, Ohio (Interstat) — The Kent State Golden Flashes visit the Toledo Rockets on Thursday afternoon in a Mid-American Conference series opener at Scott Park.

First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. The forecast calls for partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid-70s.

Kent State (37-12) enters riding a two-game winning streak. The Golden Flashes beat Michigan 5-3 on Tuesday behind 3 scoreless innings from reliever Gavin Jones. Jones, a right-hander, has allowed 0 earned runs in six of his last seven appearances, covering 14 innings. He struck out two against the Wolverines and has 15 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings this season.

Toledo (28-25) also won Tuesday, routing Bowling Green 15-5. Catcher Ty O’Brien went 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs. O’Brien is hitting .321 with 10 homers and 42 RBIs. He has reached base in 12 of his last 13 games.

The Golden Flashes swept a three-game series at Akron earlier this month and took two of three at Western Michigan. Their offense has produced 7.5 runs per game in the last 10 contests.

Toledo has won five of its last six, including a three-game sweep at Ohio. The Rockets averaged 13.2 runs in their last five victories.

Interstat’s game simulator projects an 8-7 Kent State victory.

The teams play again Friday and Saturday at the same venue.

Players to watch:

- Gavin Jones, Kent State: The reliever has a 1.88 ERA in 14 1/3 innings. He has not allowed a run in 10 of his 12 appearances.

- Ty O’Brien, Toledo: The catcher has driven in 10 runs in his last five games. He homered twice in the past week.

Kent State is 5-1 in MAC road games this season. Toledo is 7-5 at home.

The Golden Flashes lead the all-time series 98-68.