Kent State collected 16 hits en route to a 13-5 win over FIU in the opener of a four-game series Friday night from the FIU ballpark.
The Golden Flashes (4-0) won the second-ever meeting with the Panthers (1-3). The teams' lone previous game occurred in 1998 – an 11-8 KSU win in Miami.
Kent State, the preseason favorite in the Mid-American Conference, scored seven runs through the first three innings -- highlighted by a two-run home run by Dylan Rosa off FIU starter Chris Mourelle (1-1). The FIU senior right-hander went three innings, allowed eight hits and six earned runs.