Friday's MAC Baseball Results
Ohio 13, Northern Illinois 2
Central Michigan 7, Toledo 2
Akron 3, Bowling Green 0
Kent State 5, Buffalo 4
Eastern Michigan 15, Western Michigan 14
Ball State 7, Miami 6
Stories courtesy of Home Sports Information Departments
Ohio 13, Northern Illinois 2
Boxscore
DeKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois baseball team took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning on four hits, but faltered late in the game against Ohio, surrendering nine runs in the final two innings and falling, 13-2.
“We had a really disappointing game. We took a good, Friday MAC baseball game through six innings and we turned it into a debacle and that just can’t happen, but it did,” said Head Coach Ed Mathey. “Our bullpen has got to come in and keep us within striking distance. Taylor (Nawrocki) pitched well but we had to pull him because of his high pitch count. One game does not make a series, but we have to recollect and figure out how we’re going to attack tomorrow.”
Ohio (14-15, 4-3 MAC) started hot in the first inning and loaded the bases on two walks and single, but Taylor Nawrocki got out of the jam on a pair of fly outs to end the inning. Northern Illinois (8-21, 2-5 MAC) scored two runs in the bottom of the second, scoring the first on a double by Troy White that drove in Alex Klonowski from first and tacked on the second on a Brett Frantini fielder’s choice to take a 2-0 lead.
The Bobcats took the lead with four runs in the sixth inning on four hits and two errors. OU would combine for nine more runs in the eighth and ninth innings for their final 13-2 lead. Brett Barber entered the game in the seventh inning with the score 4-2 and finished the game for Ohio, earning his third save of the season.
The NIU pitching staff accounted for 10 strikeouts in the game, seven of which came from the bullpen. Eli Anderson struck out four batters, catching all of the Bobcats looking at a called strike three. Zach Badgley and Nawrocki also recorded a backwards K on the stat sheet. The Huskies combined for seven hits in the game, with Alex Beckmann totaling two in the game.
The Huskies will look to get back on track tomorrow afternoon against the Bobcats in game two of the series. First pitch is slated for 1:05 p.m. Jake Hermsen will be in the hunt for third-straight victory on the mound for NIU.
Central Michigan 7, Toledo 2
Boxscore
MOUNT PLEASANT - Junior Jordan Adams hit his first two home runs of the season and senior Zach Cooper remained perfect in Mid-American Conference play as Central Michigan won game one of its series versus Toledo, 7-2.
With the win, the Chippewas improve to 13-17 on the year and 4-3 in the MAC, while the Rockets fall to 12-17 and 3-4 in conference play.
"I'm very happy with how we played defensively today," head coach Steve Jaksa said. "That's a staple for our success and we have been a little inconsistent. Even though Coop struggled with his command a little bit today he was able to get some key outs. Our outfielders ran some balls down and we were flawless on the infield."
The Chippewas trailed, 2-0, through two and a half innings before taking ahold of the game with four big runs in the bottom of the third.
Junior Jordan Dean reached on an error to lead off the inning and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by senior Tyler Hall before coming around to score on a RBI single up the middle by senior Sam Russell. Senior William Arnold, who walked earlier in the inning, tied the game, 2-2, one batter later when he scored on a Nate Theunissen groundout.
Adams then lifted a 1-0 pitch deep over the left field fence for a two-run homer that put the Maroon and Gold in front, 4-2, through three innings.
Cooper then settled in nicely on the mound and showed off the skill that has earned him back-to-back MAC West Pitcher of the Week honors, as the ace of the Chippewas allowed just one hit over his final four innings of work.
The Chippewas tacked on two more runs to extend their lead to four, 6-2 in the bottom of the sixth, when freshman Joey Houlihan led off with a double and scored on an error by the Rockets' shortstop and Arnold drove in redshirt freshman Nick Regnier with a single to center field.
Adams' second home run of the game came in the seventh and was sent in the same direction, clearing the left field fence with ease for the final 7-2 score.
Senior Jon Weaver came on in relief of Cooper in the top of the eighth and allowed just one hit, while striking out the side in the ninth to secure the wi
Adams finished 2-for-3 with three RBI while Arnold reached base safely three times going 2-for-3 with a walk and a RBI.
Cooper (3-2) is now a perfect 3-0 in MAC starts after tossing seven innings and allowing two runs - one earned - on three hits and four walks Friday. He has allowed just two earned runs in his three MAC starts and has a miniscule 0.75 ERA through 22 innings pitch in conference play.
\The Chippewas and Rockets will resume their series at Theunissen Stadium tomorrow afternoon at 2:05. Central Michigan's Pat Kaminska will be making his first start of the season and will be opposed by senior Matt Kuna of Toledo.
Akron 3, Bowling Green 0
Boxscore
AKRON, Ohio – Andrew Brown's second complete game shutout in his last three starts gave Akron Baseball a 3-0 win over Bowling Green on Friday at Canal Park.
rown was nothing short of dominant, allowing just two hits and striking out six. He allowed just five base runners, and no more than one in a single inning. The senior hurler was one wind-blown fly ball away from a one-hitter.
Brown (4-4) stranded runners in scoring position in three different innings, pitching around a one-out double in the sixth and a lead off walk and failed pick off attempt in the seventh. Brown also stranded a Falcon on third in the first. After Jake Thomas was hit by a pitch to start the game, he moved to third on two straight groundouts before Brown produced his first strike out to end the inning. He sat down the final nine batters of the game in order. The outing is the seventh complete game of Brown's career and his third complete game shutout.
Sophomore Brady Stewart went 2-for-3 with an RBI to lead UA (11-17, 4-3 Mid-American Conference) at the plate. Sophomore Darius Washington and junior Samuel Trecaso also had an RBI each.
Bowling Green (11-18, 2-5) starter Matt Malewitz (2-3) took the loss after allowing three runs in 6.1 innings.
After going down in order in the first three innings, the Zips manufactured a run in the fourth. Devan Ahart led off the inning with a single to left, and was bunted over by Sam Watkins. Stewart then drove Ahart in with a two-out single to center.
Akron extended its lead with a two-run seventh. Begun walked to start the frame and moved to second when Stewart beat out a slow roller down the first base line. The pair moved into scoring position on a Joey Havrilak sacrifice bunt, which forced BGSU skipper Danny Schmitz to his bullpen. Washington then ripped a two-strike offering from reliever Ben Singer past a drawn-in infield to plate Begun. Stewart then scored by beating out shortstop Brandon Howard's throw on Samuel Trecaso's chopper.
Akron and Bowling Green continue this weekend's series tomorrow at Canal Park. First pitch is at 1 p.m.
Kent State 5, Buffalo 4
Boxscore
KENT, Ohio – Senior southpaw ace David Starn (Hudson, Ohio) cemented his place as Kent State's all-time strikeouts leader, and sophomore right fielder T.J. Sutton (Uniontown, Ohio) saved the day with a two-RBI walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning to earn a thrilling 5-4 victory over Mid-American Conference East Division foe Buffalo in the weekend series opener Friday (April 6) at Olga A. Mural Field at Schoonover Stadium.
"Going up I knew with bases loaded, one out, they couldn't walk me," said Sutton. "The pitch was over the plate and down, and I just tried to put a good swing on it. I've been leaving a lot of guys on base lately. I've been hitting the ball well, but right at people. With guys on base, you have to come through, especially in close games."
The Golden Flashes (16-13, 7-0 MAC) have now won two in a row and eight of their last 11 games with the victory over the Bulls (7-17, 1-5 MAC) and maintained their grasp on first place in the race for the MAC East Division crown.
"Buffalo always plays us really tough," said eighth-year head coach Scott Stricklin. "I'm happy for our team. We're finding a way to win right now, and we'll take it."
Starn finished the contest with a career-high 12 strikeouts – including fanning nine of the first 16 batters he faced – to surpass the 274 career strikeouts mark set by Dirk Hayhurst (2000-03) to move into first place in the school's record book with 280 strikeouts.
"I'm glad we got the win, and I'm glad I got the record at home," said Starn. "It wasn't in my mind to get the record. I've just been going out there and trying to do what I do every game to help us win. There's a lot of good pitchers who have come through here and done a lot of great things."
Unfortunately for Starn, he was not in line for the mound victory as he departed the contest after six innings with the game locked in a two-all tie as the Flashes continued to struggle with driving home runners in scoring position.
The Bulls took advantage, breaking through with a run in the top of the eighth as sophomore shortstop Michael Burke drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore pinch hitter Thomas Richards, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a single to center by junior center fielder Jason Kanzler. Buffalo made it 4-2 in the top of the ninth when junior second baseman Jon Mestas hit a leadoff single to right center, moved to second on a base hit by junior catcher Tom Murphy, went to third on a sacrifice bunt by senior right fielder Dan Scahill and scored one out later on a single through the left side by sophomore third baseman Mike Scarcello.
Kent State did not quit fighting, though, and put together a dramatic finish in the bottom of the ninth. Senior catcher David Lyon (Emporium, Pa.) drew a leadoff walk to chase Buffalo freshman right-handed reliever Anthony Magovney from the contest. Buffalo opted to move Burke from short to the mound. He issued back-to-back walks to junior first baseman George Roberts (Summerhill, Pa.) and redshirt junior third baseman Nick Hamilton (Avon Lake, Ohio) to load the bases, then hit freshman left fielder Alex Miklos (Grove City, Pa.) to bump home Lyon and pull Kent State within a run. That set the table for Sutton to drive Burke's first pitch to him into right center for a single to bring around Roberts and Hamilton to give the Golden Flashes the win.
Buffalo landed the first punch in the top of the first when junior left fielder Matt Pollock crushed a leadoff home run over the left field wall.
Kent State countered in the home half when junior center fielder Evan Campbell (Beloit, Ohio) hit a leadoff single up the middle, went to second on a single up the middle by senior shortstop Jimmy Rider (Venetia, Pa.), advanced to third on a fly ball to right by Lyon and scored on a base hit to right center by Roberts to tie the game at one-all.
Buffalo grabbed the lead back in the fifth when Kanzler hit a one-out single to right, moved up to second on a base hit through the left side by Pollock and then scored on a single down the left field line by Mestas.
The Flashes knotted things up again in the sixth when Roberts led off the frame with a base hit up the middle and scored on a sacrifice fly to right by Sutton.
Freshman lefty Brian Clark (Munroe Falls, Ohio) earned the victory in relief of Starn, improving to 2-0 on the season.
Campbell led Kent State at the plate with three hits apiece.
Kent State goes for its third straight MAC series victory Saturday (April 7) as it takes on Buffalo at 1 p.m. Junior righty Ryan Bores (Strongsville, Ohio) gets the start on the hill.
Eastern Michigan 15, Western Michigan 14
Boxscore
KALAMAZOO, Mich.- Friday's game one between Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan started off relatively slow, but turned into a wild late-inning slugfest. Coming up on the short end of a 15-14 final, WMU experienced its first Mid-American Conference loss of the season after opening league play with five wins.
The Broncos (14-12, 5-1 MAC) held an early 5-0 lead after three innings. Eastern Michigan's offense broke its silence with two runs in the fifth and scored every inning after.
The lead changed hands four times and the score was knotted twice in the game. The teams combined for 39 hits and six errors, two charged to the Broncos.
WMU disrupted an 11-11 tie with three runs in the bottom of the eighth to take a 14-11 lead into the final frame. EMU plated four runs in the top of the ninth and the Broncos were unable to answer in their final at bat.
The third of four pitchers out of WMU's bullpen, Patrick Borlik (5-3) suffered the loss, allowing five runs across (three earned) in two innings.
Freshman Jared Kujawa had a 5-for-6 day at the plate, with a pair of doubles and a triple, and drove in four runs. Vinnie Booker had four hits, while Ryan McMillin and Patrick Duncan each had three. McMillin doubled twice and had four RBIs. Jordan Tillman had two extra-bases knocks, hitting a double and a triple.
Brent Ohrman led Eastern Michigan (11-18, 4-3 MAC) with four hits and three other Eagles collected three apiece. Ohrman and Lee Longo each had three RBIs.
Ben Dartnell (2-4) was credited with the win for EMU, recording the final out of the eighth. Joe Battistelli earned the save, throwing the bottom of the ninth.
After rattling off seven-straight victories, with the addition of non-conference contests, Western Michigan has dropped its last two outings. The Broncos will look to get back on track in game two of the three-game series tomorrow, with a 1 p.m. first pitch.
Ball State 7, Miami 6
Boxscore
MUNCIE, Ind. - The Ball State baseball team picked up a back-and-forth 7-6 victory over Mid-American Conference rival Miami Friday afternoon at Ball Diamond in the first of a three-game series. The Cardinals rallied from an early three-run deficit and held the RedHawks off the board in the final three innings to improve to 6-1 over the RedHawks the last seven meetings.
Senior right-hander Cal Bowling (Muncie, Ind./Yorktown) improved to 3-2 on the season as he battled through 8.0 innings of work. Bowling allowed six runs on 12 hits while striking out seven batters on 123 pitches. He leads the MAC this season in innings pitched with 58.0, averaging 7.25 innings per start this season. Junior right-hander Chris Marangon (Maple Valley, Wash./Edmunds CC) pitched a scoreless ninth inning to post his second save of the year.
Junior Blake Beemer (Dayton, Ind./Northmont) led the Cardinals offensively as he posted three doubles in the victory. Sophomore shortstop T.J. Weir (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo) added a pair of hits while scoring two runs for the Cardinals who posted 11 hits in the victory.
Miami (15-14, 3-4 MAC) opened the scoring quickly in the top of the first inning against Bowling. The RedHawks posted four singles in the first inning, three of which stayed in the infield, to take a 3-0 lead. John Crummy posted a two-run single behind the second base bag for the RedHawks' big hit of the inning.
Ball State (6-20, 2-5 MAC) rallied in the bottom of the third inning against right-hander Mac Thoreson. Freshman Elbert Devarie (Kissimmee, Fla./Gateway) led off the inning with a single and sophomore Mitch Overley (Zionsville, Ind./Brebeuf) reached on fielding error by Ryan Curl. After a sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position, senior Mitch Widau (Richmond, Ind./Richmond) put the Cardinals on the board with a sacrifice fly into right field.
Weir kept the inning going as he lined an RBI single into left field to plate Overley. Sophomore Cody Campbell (Muncie, Ind./Cowan) tied the game as he ripped a run-scoring double into the right center field gap to tie the game at 3-3.
Miami retook the lead in the top of the fourth inning at 4-3 before Ball State answered back in the bottom half to tie the game once again. Freshman Brandon Estep (Selma, Ind./Wapahani) lined the first pitch he saw down the left field line for a double. Overley battled in his at-bat before lining an 0-2 pitch into center field for a run-scoring single.
The see-saw affair continued in the top of the fifth inning as Bryce Redeker ripped a solo home run over the left field wall for his fourth of the season to take a 5-4 lead.
Ball State chased Thoreson from the game in the bottom of the fifth inning as it scored three runs to take a 7-5 lead. Beemer posted a run-scoring double while Devarie drove in two runs with a two-out double into a left center field gap.
Miami pulled within one in the sixth inning as Max Andressen and Scott Slappey led off with back-to-back singles. After a sacrifice bunt, Marcus Makuch lifted a sacrifice fly into center field scoring Andressen to make it a 7-6 contest. Bowling struck out Ryan Brenner looking to keep the Cardinals in the lead.
The RedHawks threatened again in the seventh inning as they put runners on first and second with one out. Bowling induced an inning-ending double play off the bat of Crummy to thwart the threat and keep the Cardinals in the lead.
Miami had its last chance in the top of the ninth inning against Marangon as he issued a one-out walk to Matt Honchel. Kevin Bower followed with a two-out single that put runners on the corners, but Crummy grounded out to third base to end the game securing the victory.
Ball State and Miami will continue its three-game series Saturday afternoon. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. at Ball Diamond with Weir set to make his seventh start of the season for the CardinalS