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College World Series 2012: Kent State's Incredible Run Ends With Loss To South Carolina

The Golden Flashes were knocked out of the 2012 College World Series as South Carolina stater Michael Roth went the distance, retiring 22 straight batters in a dominant performance.

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Kent State Vs. South Carolina Final Score: Golden Flashes Eliminated In 4-1 Loss

The Kent State Golden Flashes just couldn't keep their thrilling run alive on Thursday, falling to South Carolina in an elimination game. The game ended 4-1 in South Carolina's favor as Michael Roth pitched a two-hitter to stem the Flashes and their strong run.

Their run included a 5-4 win over the No. 1-seeded Florida Gators and three SEC opponent victims in total. But they ran into South Carolina, who had won 22-straight postseason games prior to falling to Arkansas and being put into this elimination matchup. South Carolina will now go on to take on Arkansas again on Thursday night as part of a double header due to the rain-out on Wednesday.

Grayson Greiner and Chase Vergason hit RBI singles in the second inning to take the 2-1 lead the Gamecocks would not relinquish. LB Dantzler hit a homerun in the third inning against Tyler Skulina to put the Gamecocks up 3-1. In the second inning, Sawyer Polen had an RBI single for the Golden Flashes, but after that point, Roth struck out eight batters without walking anyone. Roth was as advertised, retiring the final 22 batters he faced in order on his way to the third complete game of his career.

It was a dominating performance by Roth. Had he been even slightly off, Kent State may have been able to extend their strong postseason play. In its first College World Series appearance, Kent State finished with a 1-2 record.

For more 2012 NCAA Baseball Tournament coverage, be sure to stay right here with SB Nation Cleveland's StoryStream. For more coverage of Kent State and the Mid-American Conference, check out Hustle Belt.

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Kent State Vs. Purdue, 2012 NCAA Tournament Final Score: Golden Flashes Knock Off Top-Seeded Boilermakers, 7-3

Still locked-in at the plate after their 21-inning thriller victory against Kentucky on Friday night, the Kent State Golden Flashes pulled off yet another upset with an impressive 7-3 win over the No. 1 seeded Purdue Boilermakers in Saturday's Regional winner's game.

The two teams opened the game each sending a runner across the plate in the first inning, but it quickly became evident that Kent State was merely warming up, as they pounded Purdue starter Lance Breedlove for five more runs in the second inning alone to break the game wide open. In an early 6-2 hole, the Boilermakers would manage to score just one more time throughout the final seven innings against Kent State starter Ryan Bores.

Bores, who went all nine innings and scattered nine hits to pick up the win, fanned only two Purdue batters during a performance that featured a bevy of both ground and fly ball outs. Offensively, the Flashes racked up 13 hits as a team against a usually stout Purdue pitching staff, as seniors Jimmy Rider and David Lyon each tallied three-hit games. Clean-up hitter George Roberts also continued his strong postseason with a clutch three-RBI game.

Kent State will now await the winner of Kentucky and Purdue's elimination game for a Saturday evening tilt at 8:00 pm EST. With a win there, the Flashes would punch their ticket to next week's Super Regionals. Due to the fact that Kent State has not yet lost a game however, a defeat on Sunday would set up a winner-take-all game on Monday evening.

For more 2012 NCAA Baseball Tournament coverage, be sure to stay right here with SB Nation Cleveland's StoryStream. For more coverage of Kent State and the Mid-American Conference, check out Hustle Belt.

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Dayton Vs. Texas A&M, 2012 NCAA Tournament Final Score: Flyers Fall To Aggies In Regionals, 4-1

The Dayton Flyers made a valiant effort to rally late, but couldn't generate enough offense when it counted as Texas A&M took the Regional-opening game by a 4-1 score.

The Flyers fell down right away after the Aggies chipped in a run in the first inning, and quickly followed that up by giving a pair of runs over the next three frames. Dayton continued to struggle to get into a rhythm from the plate entering the middle half of the game, as Texas A&M starter Michael Wacha reeled off 7.1 consecutive scoreless innings before giving way to the bullpen.

Dayton senior pitcher Mike Hauschild scattered nine hits over seven innings to pick up the loss, and walked four batters in a start where his command was spotty throughout. Vital Flyers freshman first baseman A.J. Ryan, slotted in the No. 5 spot, finished 0-for-4 from the plate in his first NCAA Tournament game.

Stuck in Saturday's elimination game against TCU, the Flyers will hope to produce more than just six hits offensively with their 2012 season hanging in the balance.

For more 2012 NCAA Baseball Tournament coverage, stay with SB Nation Cleveland's StoryStream.

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Kent State Vs. Kentucky, 2012 NCAA Baseball Tournament Final Score: Golden Flashes Survive 21-Inning Thriller, 7-6

In one of the longest, most exciting college baseball games in recent memory, the Kent State Golden Flashes pulled off the upset and outlasted the Kentucky Wildcats in 21 innings by a 7-6 score in Friday's Regional opener.

Officially the second longest baseball game in NCAA tourney history, the two teams battled it out on the field for nearly seven hours. In addition to tallying 38 hits from the plate and 47 strikeouts from the mound, the Wildcats and Flashes each gave fans a series of nail-biting scenarios throughout extra innings where runs seemed to be an absolute certainty. And yet even when it looked like the game would end, an improbable set of circumstances would arise and ensure that another inning would somehow be in the cards.

Offensively, George Roberts and Jimmy Rider each led the way for Kent State from the dish. Roberts finished 5-for-10 with a pair of RBI, while Rider ended the night 4-for-10 from the plate. Aside from an 0-for-6 night from catcher Danny Lyon, the Flashes had no trouble making solid contact with the ball throughout. In the end, though, it was pitcher Michael Clark who picked up the win for the Flashes after pitching 3.2 innings of scoreless ball.

After playing the equivalent of more than two baseball games, it will be interesting to see how fatigue impacts these two clubs going forward in the tournament. The Golden Flashes will move on to play the winner of Purdue vs. Valaparaiso (which was delayed due to the length of this game) in Saturday's winner's game, while Kentucky will face the loser in a must-win situation earlier in the day.

For more 2012 NCAA Baseball Tournament coverage, stay with SB Nation Cleveland's StoryStream.

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Photographs by spatulated, Triple Tri, and chrischappelear used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.