Sunday's MAC Baseball Results
Toledo 5, Ohio 2
Ball State 2, Akron 1
Western Michigan 1, Bowling Green 0
Central Michigan 14, Buffalo 13
Eastern Michigan 4, Miami 2
Kent State 5, Northern Illinois 3
Stories courtesy of Home MAC Sports Information Departments
Toledo 5, Ohio 2
Boxscore
TOLEDO, OH - Toledo took advantage of another quality start from junior RHP Jared Locke and registered a 5-2 victory over Ohio on Sunday in the Mid-American Conference series finale at Scott Park. The Rockets won two of three games against the Bobcats (10-12, 1-2 MAC) this weekend, improving to 10-12 overall and 2-1 in the league.
Locke (3-3) was impressive over the first 6.0 innings to record his third consecutive victory, allowing two runs on six hits with a career-high seven strikeouts.
Sophomore LHP Ryan Wilkinson came on in relief and worked the next 2.2 frames, yielding just two hits with a pair of punchouts, before freshman RHP Andrew Marra recorded the final out to collect his team-high third save of the season.
Offensively, freshman 3B Anthony Smith (2-for-3, 2 RS, RBI) paced the Midnight Blue & Gold with two hits. In total, six UT starters finished with a hit against a trio of Ohio hurlers.
Toledo opened the scoring with two runs in the second inning on the strength of a run-scoring single by Smith and a perfectly executed safety squeeze bunt by junior LF Tyler Grogg.
Locke kept the Bobcats off the board until the fifth frame when Ethan Newton was credited with a sacrifice fly. The visitors took advantage of leadoff hits from Douglas Holmes and Tyler Wells to put a runner in scoring position, setting the stage for Newton's sacrifice fly to right field.
The Rockets were quick to counter, though, plating a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth to make the score 4-1. UT benefitted from hits by senior 2B Joe Corfman and Grogg, as well as two crucial Ohio errors to establish a three-run cushion.
Ohio would not go quietly and mustered a run in the sixth on a leadoff home run off the bat of Jensen Painter, his third on the weekend.
The score remained the same until the eighth inning when the Rockets plated an insurance run on the strength of another Bobcats' throwing error to make the final difference, 5-2.
Local product Jason Moulton (1-2) was tagged with the loss for Ohio, giving up four runs (three earned) on six hits in 6.1 innings. The Start High School graduate finished today's contest with four strikeouts.
Wells led the visitors with a game-high three hits.
The Rockets return to action on Tuesday, March 27 with a non-league game at Kent State. The first pitch from Olga A. Mural Field at Schoonover Stadium is slated for 3:05 p.m.
Ball State 2, Akron 1
Boxscore
AKRON, Ohio – The Ball State Cardinals squeezed home a run in the top of the 12th inning and hung on to defeat The University of Akron baseball team, 2-1, on Sunday at Canal Park.
A TJ Weir triple down the right field line with one out put the Cardinals in business in the 12th. Weir then scored on a Cody Campbell bunt back to reliever Scott Foster, who was unable to make a play.
Akron would have a chance to respond in its half of the 12th. Samuel Trecaso lined a two-out single to center that got past BSU center fielder Wes Winkle, allowing Trecaso to reach third. Miles Moeller then induced a game-ending pop fly from Kurt Gamby.
The UA (8-14, 2-1 Mid-American Conference) loss came despite a strong combined effort on the mound from Foster and starter Alex Loftin. Loftin went seven innings and allowed just one run on five hits, while striking out four. Foster (1-3) had a strong relief effort, going five innings and allowing just the triple to Weir. He had retired the first 13 batters he faced before Weir's three-bagger.
Brady Stewart led the Akron effort at the plate with a pair of hits. Freshman Matt Rembielak drove in the lone UA run, squeezing home pinch runner Jared Turocy in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings.
Moeller (1-1) snagged the win in relief for BSU (4-14, 1-2). Blake Beemer and Campbell each drove in runs.
The Cardinals plated one in the third, also thanks to a well-executed squeeze. Sean Godfrey singled to lead off the frame and moved to third on a wild pitch and a sacrifice bunt. Beemer then laid down a bunt single to third to bring in Godfrey.
Akron had numerous opportunities to get on the scoreboard. Stewart was stranded on third in the fifth and the Zips had the first two aboard in the seventh but were once again shut out. UA would leave a total of 13 runners on base in the game.
BSU threatened to extend its lead in the seventh when Winkle singled to left with Kirby Campbell on second. Gamby gunned down Campbell at the plate, however, to save a run. Stewart applied an excellent swipe tag as Campbell slide in to keep the Cardinal lead at one.
Stewart led off the ninth with a double down the right field line. Turocy then pinch ran and moved to third by beating out Weir's throw on a Darius Washington fielder's choice. Rembielak then dropped a perfect bunt that stalled right on the first-base line allowing Turocy to score and tie the game. Akron was one deep fly ball from a walk-off win, but Cardinal lefty Devin Wilburn struck out Devan Ahart and Tyler Begun to end the threat.
UA was once again in position to win in the bottom of the eleventh with Brandon Winter and Darius Washington on first and second with nobody out. With the hit and run on, Rembielak then lined into double play to center and Washington was erased one batter later on a fielder's choice.
Akron will play a home-and-home midweek series with Youngstown State on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Zips will travel to Eastwood Field on Tuesday before the two teams will play at Canal Park on Wednesday. Both games begin at 3 p.m.
Western Michigan 1, Bowling Green 0
Boxscore
KALAMAZOO, Mich.- Western Michigan posted a 1-0 win over Bowling Green Sunday to take all three games of the Mid-American Conference opening series. The Broncos also defeated BGSU twice on Saturday, 4-3, 10-3.
Freshman right-handed pitcher Will Nimke (1-0) earned his first collegiate win on the mound, in his fourth start, throwing 6.1 innings and allowing only four hits. He struck out four and walked two.
Relievers Monty Porter and Patrick Borlik preserved the shutout, Porter hurling two innings and Borlik recording the final two outs. Borlik was credited with his second save of the season.
Western Michigan scored the only run in the game in the bottom of the second. Patrick Duncan reached base on a fielder's choice and scooted over to third on a single by Troy Forton. Caleb Caton scored Duncan with a sacrifice fly to shallow right.
It was the second shutout of the season for Western Michigan, which evened its record to 10-10 overall, 3-0 MAC. Bowling Green fell to 8-15 on the season and 0-3 in the MAC.
Green threatened to score in the seventh, but the relief effort of Porter got WMU out of a sticky situation. Nimke faced the first two batters of the inning, recording a fly out and then issuing a walk.
The Falcons then loaded the bases with a single and hit batsman off of Chris Bossenbery, who was first out of the Bronco bullpen. Porter got Jake Thomas to line out to Duncan at shortstop. Diving to his left to make the catch, Duncan flipped the ball to Zach Thoma at second base to double up the runner on an inning-ending double play.
Porter also got the Falcons to ground into an inning-ending double play in the top of the eighth.
Borlik took over for Porter with two on and one out in the ninth. Borlik sat down pinch hitter Logan Walker with a swinging strikeout and was able to get Brian Bien to ground out to third for the win.
Bowling Green's pitching staff was almost equally impressive. Falcon starter Andrew Lacinak also went 6.1 innings and limited WMU to four hits, striking out three, in the loss. The run against Lacinak in the second was unearned.
The Broncos had just five hits in the game, Forton recording two of those, going 2-for-3 at the plate. Ryan McMillin doubled in the fourth, Vinnie Booker bunted for a hit in the fifth and Andrew Sohn had a pinch-hit single in the eighth.
Western Michigan returns to Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field Wednesday, March 28, hosting non-conference opponent Oakland at 3 p.m.
Central Michigan 14, Buffalo 13
Boxscore
MOUNT PLEASANT - Senior Nate Theunissen hit a walk-off single to cap a four-run ninth inning Sunday to give Central Michigan a come-from-behind win over Buffalo, 14-13.
Theunissen drove a 3-2 pitch to left center off the Bulls' (7-11, 1-2 MAC) Michael Burke to score senior William Arnold from second to give the Chippewas (11-13, 2-1 MAC) the win and the series.
Redshirt freshman Nick Regnier got the rally going with CMU down, 13-10, in the bottom of the ninth with a one-out single before junior Jordan Dean reached on a error, advancing Regnier to second. Senior Tyler Hall then drove in Regnier from second and senior Sam Russell hit a single through the left side to plate Dean and Hall to tie the game, 13-13, prior to Theunissen's walk-off hit.
"We got into a hole, but our bullpen did a great job and we were able to put on our rally shoes," head coach Steve Jaksa said. "Give them a lot of credit, they swung the bat really well and scored a lot of runs. Thankfully we were able to do the same and come from behind. It's a testimony to our guys and they showed great character. We got some big hits and I'm really, really proud of my guys."
After jumping out to an early 2-0 lead on Dean's fourth home run of the season in the bottom of the first, the Chippewas found themselves down, 12-4, through four and a half innings.
The Bulls scored six runs on seven hits in the third and added three runs apiece in the fourth and fifth innings to build the lead before the Chippewas started their comeback.
Redshirt freshman Tyler Huntey reached on an error and scored on a Joey Houlihan RBI single in the bottom of the fifth prior to junior Jordan Adams scoring on a passed ball after hitting a double earlier in the frame. After a walk to Dean put runners on first and third, Hall hit the first pitch he saw over the fence in right field to pull CMU within three, 12-9.
CMU tacked on an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth when Theunissen reached on an error and scored on a wild pitch to pull within two, 12-10.
Redshirt freshman Dylan Rhault and junior Dietrich Enns quieted the Bulls' offense through the final four innings, as Rheault struck out five over three innings of work and gave up just one run in the top of the seventh and Enns worked a perfect ninth to set up the comeback and earn his first victory of the year.
The Maroon and Gold's one through six hitters each recorded two hits on the day as they racked up 17 as a team and were led by Dean's 2-for-4, four run performance. Russell drove in three for Central while Hall finished the day with four RBI in just his fourth game of the season.
The two teams combined to record 36 hits in the game as Buffalo finished with 19 as the contest took three hours and 37 minutes.
The Chippewas are back in action Wednesday afternoon when they travel to East Lansing to take on in-state foe Michigan State. First pitch is set for 3:05 p.m.
Eastern Michigan 4, Miami 2
Boxscore
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com)— A three-run seventh inning along with some flashy defense propelled the Eastern Michigan University baseball team to a 4-2 victory over Miami University Sunday, March 25, at Oestrike Stadium. The Eagles also took advantage of three RedHawks' errors en route to a series win in the opening weekend of Mid-American Conference play.
The Eagles (8-14; 2-1 MAC) held a slim 1-0 lead in the seventh until Ben Magsig touched home plate on a throwing error by the Miami shortstop to make it a 2-0 game. Daniel Russell scored the Eagles' third run on a balk, and Lee Longo knocked in Jamie Simpson on a single to right field.
The RedHawks (13-11; 1-2 MAC) answered with a pair of runs in the eighth inning, but reliever Joe Battistelli pitched pitched himself out of trouble on several occasions to earn his first save of the season in three and two-thirds innings of work.
Ryan Lavoie (2-1) pitched five and one-thirds innings in a winning bid for the Eagles. The freshman right hander allowed no runs while scattering four hits and striking out a pair.
At the top of the order, Magsig went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored. Longo had a 2-for-4 showing to go along with his team-leading 14th RBI. Brent Ohrman notched another stolen base for his 10th of the year while going 1-for-5 at the plate.
Shawn Marquardt (2-3) took the loss for Miami after allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits in six and two-thirds innings on the mound.
Scott Slappey (2-for-3) and Ryan Brenner (1-for-4) each recorded an RBI in the RedHawks' two-run eighth inning. Additionally, Nate Bowles and Marcus Makuch were each 2-for-4 for the game.
In the Eagles' first at-bat, Sam Ott hit a fly ball to right field which was caught by Bryce Redeker. Magsig tagged up from third base and headed for home. He appeared to be in safely, but missed the plate on the slide allowing catcher John Crummy to apply the tag for the double play. Ohrman swiped third base with two outs in the inning, but did not score.
Fine defensive play by Magsig and Kinder kept Miami off the basepaths in the second. Magsig snared a ground ball labeled for right field and flipped to Lavoie covering first base for the second out. Kinder then ended the inning by gunning down Bowles, who attempted to stretch a single into a two-base hit.
The second inning yielded no runs for the Eagles despite a bases-loaded situation with nobody out. Matt Hitt grounded out softly to the pitcher who tossed home for a force out. Tucker Rubino then chased a 1-2 breaking pitch out of the zone and Magsig popped up to the shortstop for the final out.
A wild pitch and a balk put Bower at third base with two out in the Miami fifth inning, but Lavoie recorded the third out on a weak grounder by Makuch and the game remained scoreless.
The Green and White broke through for a run in the bottom of the fifth when a grounder off the bat of Simpson was mishandled by the Miami second baseman who was attempting to make a force out at second. Magsig scored easily from third base to give EMU a 1-0 edge.
Then in the seventh, Marquardt retired two of the first three batters he faced before allowing Ott and Simpson to reach base. With one run already across, Nathan Williams relieved the Miami starter and balked in pinch runner Russell from third base. Longo's RBI knock capped off the frame and increased the Eagles' advantage to 4-0.
Miami started off the eighth inning with four consecutive hits including RBI singles by Slappey and Brenner to cut the EMU lead in half, 4-2. The Eagles caught a break when Matt Honchel popped up a bunt into the glove of Hitt for the first out.
Magsig then recorded the second out by reaching over the fence down the first base side to corral a foul ball. Rubino ended the inning by scooping up a line drive just inches from hitting the infield turf.
The RedHawks put the tying run on base with one out in the ninth, but Battistelli got the ground ball he was looking for to turn a textbook 6-4-3 double play to give the Eagles their second consecutive victory.
With the win, Eastern Michigan improved to 5-1 at home.
The Green and White will have the day off Monday before hitting the road for a matchup with Big Ten Conference opponent Ohio State University Tuesday, March 27. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. in Columbus, Ohio.
Kent State 5, Northern Illinois 3
Boxscore
KENT, Ohio – Redshirt junior Nick Hamilton (Avon Lake, Ohio) came off the bench to deliver the game-winning RBI single in the seventh inning as the Kent State baseball team dug deep to complete its Mid-American Conference opening weekend sweep, downing West Division foe Northern Illinois, 5-3, in a Techno Sunday (March 25) thriller at Olga A. Mural Field at Schoonover Stadium.
The Golden Flashes (11-10, 3-0 MAC) have taken the early lead in the race for the MAC East crown thanks to their three victories over the Huskies (5-19, 0-3 MAC). Kent State bested Northern Illinois, 12-6, in its home opener Friday (March 23) and followed it up with a 6-1 triumph Saturday (March 24) and has now won nine straight contests over the Huskies. The Flashes completed their first conference sweep since a 2-0 series win at Bowling Green (May 13-14, 2011) last season.
Northern Illinois forced Kent State to come up with some late-game magic after erasing a 3-0 advantage for the Flashes by plating two runs in the top of the sixth and one more in the top of the seventh to even the score.
Kent State rallied back in the home half of the seventh, though. Junior first baseman George Roberts (Summerhill, Pa.) drove a one-out single up the middle to get things rolling. Sophomore designated hitter T.J. Sutton (Uniontown, Ohio) followed by reaching base on a catcher's interference call on Northern Illinois senior backstop Brett Frantini. Redshirt freshman right fielder Troy Summers (Minerva, Ohio) was then hit by a pitch by NIU redshirt senior right-handed starting pitcher Tony Manville to fill the bases with Flashes for Hamilton, who delivered a clutch pinch-hit RBI single up the middle to put Kent State back in front. Freshman third baseman Sawyer Polen (Wooster, Ohio) made it a two-run ballgame when he lifted a sacrifice fly to deep center to allow Sutton to tag up and score.
"We got the catcher's interference on a foul ball, which put runners on first and second and allowed us to do some things," said eighth-year head coach Scott Stricklin. "You've got to take advantage when you get opportunities. "Nick had the biggest at-bat of the game. We always tell our guys to be ready to come off the bench and get it done."
Junior center fielder Evan Campbell (Beloit, Ohio) helped Kent State grab the early lead by cracking his first triple of the season into right center, then scoring by way of an RBI ground out to second by senior shortstop Jimmy Rider (Venetia, Pa.) to give Kent State a 1-0 edge in the first.
The Flashes made it a three-run lead in the third. Rider led off by legging out an infield single to short, then advancing to second on a wild pitch. Roberts delivered an RBI single through the right side to plate Rider, then scored Kent State's third run when Sutton doubled him home.
Kent State sophomore right-handed starting pitcher Tyler Skulina (Strongsville, Ohio) cruised through the game's first five innings in his first home start for the Blue & Gold, sitting down 15 of the first 18 batters he faced while giving up just one single and two walks and was in line to get the victory heading into the sixth inning. Unfortunately for the transfer from Virginia, he ran into a jam in the sixth frame. Northern Illinois junior first baseman Jordan Huffman smacked a one-out double to left, then moved to third on a ground out by sophomore second baseman Jeff Zimmerman. Sophomore right fielder Alex Klonowski put runners on the corners for the Huskies when he was hit by a pitch. It appeared as though Skulina would work out of the jam when he forced senior left fielder Alex Beckmann to ground over to Kent State sophomore second baseman Derek Toadvine (Springfield, Ohio), but Toadvine was unable to get a handle on the ball and Huffman scored on the error. Senior third baseman Troy White made it a one-run game and chased Skulina from the contest when he cracked an RBI single to plate Klonowski.
Redshirt freshman righty Eric Dorsch was summoned from the bullpen and got the final out of the sixth, but the Huskies tied the game up in the ensuing frame when sophomore catcher Joe Battaglia smacked a leadoff single back up the middle and scored two outs later when Huffman singled to right.
Unfortunately for the Huskies, freshman southpaw Brian Clark (Munroe Falls, Ohio) entered the contest and got the final out of the seventh and Kent State's bats answered back in the home half.
"I was glad to get in there and have the opportunity to help my team out," said Hamilton. "It was a big situation with the game tied, and that's really what you want as a player, to have the chance to help your team out. I was glad I was able to come through."
Clark sat Northern Illinois down in order in the eighth, and junior right-hander Casey Wilson (Sagamore Hills, Ohio) picked up his third save of the 2012 campaign by doing the same in the ninth to seal the sweep for Kent State.
Clark picked up his first victory of his career to improve to 1-0 on the season. He fanned one and walked one in 1.1 innings of relief. Skulina struck out four and gave up two unearned runs on four hits and two walks in 5.2 frames.
Campbell, Rider and Roberts each posted multi-hit games with two hits apiece to remain tied for the team lead in that category with 10 apiece. Polen collected his third multi-hit game of the season with two singles.
Manville took the loss on the hill for the Huskies, dropping to 1-4 on the season after allowing five runs – four earned – on 11 hits and three walks in seven innings of work.
Huffman led Northern Illinois at the plate with a double and two singles, an RBI and a run scored.
Kent State is back in action Tuesday (March 27) at Olga A. Mural Field at Schoonover Stadium in a 3 p.m. non-conference midweek game against fellow MAC program Toledo. Admission is free. The Flashes will send redshirt sophomore southpaw Michael Clark (Akron, Ohio) to the mound for his first home start for Kent State.