Miami 17, Ball State 6 --Boxscore
Ball State 13, Miami 12 – Boxscore
OXFORD, Ohio - On a day which saw two teams combine for 48 runs, Miami and Ball State split a doubleheader Friday in Muncie. The RedHawks came out firing and took care of business in game one, topping the Cardinals 17-6. Ball State answered with a comeback win in game two, winning 13-12 on a walk-off homer.
The biggest story of the day was the Miami offense, which totaled 29 of the aforementioned 48 runs. Specifically, a few of the standouts. The most gleaming is Ross Haffey, who went a combined 7-for-9 on the day with five home runs, eight runs scored, 12 RBI and one double. He also drew two walks. Landon Stephens had a remarkable afternoon as well, going 4-for-10 with five runs scored, three home runs, 6 RBI and one triple. Hayden Senger had quite a day too, recording a 5-for-7 performance with three runs scored, three doubles and three RBI. The Red & White racked up a total of 19 extra base hits in 18 innings of play.
Game 1 Recap - Miami 17, Ball State 6
A modest start to the game had the score at zeroes through the first two innings of play. Miami was the first to breakthrough, doing so in the top of the third. Cal Elvers and Adrian Texidor opened the frame with back-to-back doubles, the latter producing the game's first tally. Following an out, Haffey went the other way and deposited his first home run of the day over the right field wall for a 3-0 Miami lead.
The Cardinals (17-16, 5-6 MAC) answered with a three-run third of their own to even the game at 3-all entering the fourth.
The RedHawks (20-11, 7-4 MAC) pulled in front again in the away half of the fifth. With Haffey standing on first with one out after a single, Stephens walked to give Miami a pair of baserunners. Both were promptly driven in by Hayden Senger on a double to left. The run-scoring two-bagger had the Red & White ahead 5-3. BSU cut the margin in half in the bottom half of the inning, capitalizing on a Miami throwing error.
The `Hawks got on the board again in the sixth. Will Vogelgesang and Elvers reached on a single and a hit by pitch, respectively, and got to third and second on a Cardinal balk. Both were then brought in on a Dallas Hall double to the gap in left. Haffey followed with his second round-tripper of the afternoon, a two-run blast, pushing the Miami advantage to 9-4. Ball State would get a single tally in both the sixth and eighth innings to narrow the deficit to three at 9-6 RedHawks.
Miami put the game to bed with a big ninth inning, striking for eight runs. Haffey drew a leadoff walk but was only on first base a short time as Stephens followed right up with a two-run shot to left. Senger then doubled and scored on a Parker Massman base knock up the middle. After a Mackay Williams infield single, Vogelgesang put down a sac bunt to move he and Massman to second and third, respectively. Elvers then drove them in with a base hit down the right field line. The scoring ended with one final blow. Texidor reached on a hit by pitch, joining Elvers on the base paths. Two batters later, both touched home when Haffey lifted his third home run of the day over the wall in right, cementing a 17-6 series-opening victory.
Miami starting pitcher Spencer Mraz went seven innings and allowed six runs (five earned) on eight hits while walking just one and striking out six. He picked up the win, which improved his record to 4-0 on the season. Cole Gnetz tossed the final two innings, giving up no runs and just two hits while fanning one.
Game 2 Recap - Ball State 13, Miami 12
Miami got out to an early and sizable lead in the back half of Friday's twin bill. Hall drew a four-pitch walk to lead off the game and found himself back in the dugout quickly as Haffey sent his fourth homer of day over the fence. Stephens then tripled to deep center and got home on a Senger sac fly. The Cardinals used a solo shot in the bottom half of the opening frame to put the score at 3-1 RedHawks after one.
The same part of the Miami lineup did damage again in the third. After two quick outs, Stephens went yard for the second time Friday, making it 4-1. Senger then singled, stole second and scored on a Massman double down the line in right. The Red & White's four-run lead lasted just a short time due to a three-run homer in the home half of the inning by the Cardinals. The score stood at 5-4 Miami through three.
The RedHawks fired right back with a big fourth. Elvers and Hall each got on via a hit by pitch. Haffey then ripped a double to left, scoring Elvers. Stephens cleared the bases with a three-run bomb, his third of the day, to put the MU lead at 9-4.
Ball State got a single tally in the fifth thanks to a solo shot to right center. However, the RedHawks answered in the away half of the sixth when Hall led off with a hit by pitch and Haffey went deep for the fifth and final time Friday, a two-run blast.
Just when it seemed Miami might be running away again, Ball State stole all of the momentum with a seven-run bottom of the sixth to grab a 12-11 lead.
No one would score again until the ninth. Still in need of a run, the RedHawks rallied their way back to tie it with their backs against the wall. Senger drew a one-out walk and Massman was struck by a pitch to put two on. Following the second out, Vogelgesang reached on a bunt single to load the bases. Elvers then drew a bases-loaded walk to bring in the tying run. A strikeout kept Miami from taking the lead as they stranded three. In the bottom of the ninth, the `Hawks got a strikeout to start the inning but a walk-off solo shot sealed a doubleheader split on the opening day of action.
The teams get back on the diamond Saturday at 1 p.m. for the rubber match.
Kent State 7, Northern Illinois 2 -- Boxscore
Kent State 7, Northern Illinois 1 – Boxscore
KENT, OHIO – Two dominating wins by the red-hot Golden Flashes moved KSU into sole possession of first place in the Mid-American Conference in a Friday twin bill sweep of Northern Illinois.
In game one, Joey Murray tossed a complete game masterpiece with 15 strikeouts. His only run allowed was unearned as he recorded his fourth straight double-digit punch out performance. Murray – who came into the weekend with an ERA of 1.32 actually lowered it to 1.11 thanks to the mesmerizing victory. He is now 5-1 on the season.
Providing the run support for him in game one was Patrick Ferguson, whose seventh-inning grand slam broke open what was then a tight 3-1 game. He became the third KSU slugger to club a slam in 2018 after Josh Hollander and Tim DalPorto did the same earlier in the year.
In game two against NIU rookie ace Michael Lasiewicz, the Golden Flashes plated a run in the first on a Pavin Parks two-out single. And with the game tied 1-1 in the fourth, KSU did something it's done quite often as of late – log a crooked number. The Flashes rolled a four thanks to a bases-clearing double down the left field line by Greg Lewandoski. The good guys added single runs in the fifth and eighth to make a winner of Connor Wollershiem. John Matthews and Jack Zimmerman combined to work four scoreless innings.
Kent State – which has now won five in a row for the first time this season – will attempt its second MAC series sweep of the year on Saturday at high noon. The Golden Flashes improved to 21-10 on the year with a 8-3 league mark.
Central Michigan 5, Toledo 3
Boxscore
TOLEDO, Ohio - The Central Michigan baseball got solid pitching and capitalized on opportunities in grinding out a 5-3 Mid-American Conference victory over Toledo on Friday at the Rockets’ Scott Park.
The win moves CMU to 12-20-1, 6-4 MAC. CMU ended Toledo’s three-game win streak. The Rockets are 11-19, 5-5.
Game two in the series is scheduled for Saturday. A site and start time will be announced on Saturday morning. The series was originally scheduled for Mount Pleasant, but was moved because of an ice storm forecast for Mid-Michigan. Sunday’s game is also a TBA in terms of site and start time.
Junior right-hander Pat Leatherman (2-4) went five innings for the win. He allowed one run on four hits to go along with three strikeouts and two walks.
Jack Collins and Brandon Reed pitched in relief for the Chippewas. Collins allowed just one hit, walked two and struck out three before giving way to Reed, who pitched out of a ninth-inning jam to preserve the victory.
Toledo starter Michael Jacob (0-6) took the loss. He allowed five runs, three of them earned, on six hits over 5 1/3 innings. He also walked five.
The Chippewas out-hit Toledo, 9-7, with three of those hits coming from leadoff man Jacob Crum, who scored two runs.
Zavier Warren, Griffin Lockwood-Powell, Jason Sullivan, Blake Cleveland, Chase Rollin and Zach Gilles each singled.
The Chippewas got a bases-loaded sacrifice fly from Sullivan to go up 1-0 in the first inning, and then added two more in the second when a Rocket throwing error allowed both Crum and Gilles to score on the same play.
The Chippewas then used a pair of two-out RBI singles – the first by Warren in the fourth and the second by Lockwood-Powell in the sixth – to increase their lead to 5-1.
Reed, a freshman left-hander, surrendered a run-scoring double and an RBI groundout in the ninth inning, cutting CMU’s lead to 5-3. He struck out Ross Adolph with a runner at third to end the game. Adolph came into the series hitting .353 with a league-high 35 RBI and tied for the conference lead with eight home runs.
Western Michigan 9, Bowling Green 4
Boxscore
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan baseball offense continued to stay hot at the plate, collecting double digit hits for the second game in a row in a 9-4 victory over Bowling Green on Friday inside Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field.
The Broncos collected nine runs on 16 hits, marking the third most hits in a game this season. With the game one victory the Broncos improve their overall record to 14-15 and 4-6 in Mid-American Conference play. Game two of the series is scheduled for Saturday, April 14 at 1:00 p.m.
The offense was led by junior Nate Grys who blasted his fourth home run of the season over the right center field wall in the fifth inning. Grys finished the day going 2-for-5 at the plate with two runs scored and a career-high four RBIs.
Six different players had multi-hit and multi-RBI games on Friday against BGSU. Redshirt junior Andrew Stone tied his career-high in hits, going 3-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored.
Fellow junior Connor Smith continued his stellar play at the plate going 2-for-5 with two runs scored and one RBI. In the past two games, Smith has recorded a staggering .727 batting average with five RBIs.
The junior duo of Jimmy Roche and Jesse Forestell also collected double digit hits in the win as Roche went 2-for-5 with one run scored and one RBI. Forestell at the plate went 2-for-4 with an RBI and one run scored.
On the mound, the duo of junior Nic Laio and redshirt senior Andrew Reisinger shut down the Falcon offense, limiting BGSU to just four runs on five hits. Laio got the start for the Broncos and went five innings, allowing three runs on three hits while striking out five.
Reisinger earned his sixth win of the season out of the bullpen going four innings, allowing just one run on two hits while striking out three. Reisinger at 6-0, ranks second in the MAC in wins.
After a scoreless first the Falcons got on the board in the top of the second with three runs on three hits to take an early lead. The big inning for BGSU was highlighted by an RBI double down the left field line by centerfielder Jake Wilson.
WMU responded quickly in the bottom half of the second as freshman Blake Dunn grounded out to short but scored sophomore Drew Devine from third to cut the BGSU lead to 3-1.
Bowling Green held the 3-1 advantage until the bottom of the fifth before the Bronco offense exploded for three runs on three hits. WMU quickly had runners on first and third with no outs after Smith reached on a throwing error and Stone reached on a single to centerfield.
After a fly out, Grys stepped to the plate and belted a three-run home run over the right center field wall to give WMU its first lead of the ballgame, 4-3. BGSU tied the game in the top of the sixth after a wild pitch with two outs scored a Falcon runner from third.
In the sixth the Brown & Gold regained the lead with four runs on five hits to grab an 8-4 advantage. With one out, Connor Smith laced a single back up the middle that scored Dunn from second to give WMU the lead once again.
The Broncos with two outs in the inning, WMU connected on three straight hits, two of which were doubles to extend the lead. WMU tacked on one more run in the seventh inning as Stone lined a ball to centerfield scoring junior Conner Henderson from second to give the Broncos a 9-4 advantage.
Reisinger closed the door on any comeback attempt by BGSU, retiring five of the final seven batters to give WMU its second straight victory.
Eastern Michigan 6, Ohio 4
Boxscore
ATHENS, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team staged a thrilling late-inning comeback in a 6-4 10-inning victory Friday evening, April 13, at Bob Wren Stadium. EMU (12-19, 6-4 MAC) trailed by one in the ninth, but got a run to send it to extras where freshman Jared Kauffman (Springboro, Ohio-Bishop Fenwick) had the clutch hit, a two-run double, to steal the win.
EMU's pitching staff got it done to set up the late-inning heroics, as junior Mitchell Sparks (Willis, Texas-Carmel (Ind.) (Iowa Lakes C.C.)) earned his sixth win of the season after pitching the final four innings without yielding a run on just two hits and two strikeouts. Senior Justin McMurtrey (Redding, Calif.-Shasta (Butte C.C.)) took a no decision after going the first six innings, including scoreless fifth and sixth frames, to keep the tally tight.
Offensively, EMU once again knocked out double-digit hits, notching 12 spread out among nine batters. Kauffman's only hit was the game winner after he entered as a defensive sub in the ninth inning. Leading the output was sophomore Nick Jones (Battle Creek, Mich.-Lakeview) finishing with two hits and two RBIs, including a double. Fellow sophomore Zachary Owings (Saline, Mich.-Saline) extended his hitting streak to eight in a two-hit day which included a double as well.
Ohio struck first in the bottom of the first, using a pair of hits and pair of errors to score two runs, making it 2-0 after one. EMU responded immediately in the top of the second with two runs of its own.
After a walk and single put two on, Nick Jones returned from his brief time out of the lineup with an injury by notching an RBI double to plate the first. The next batter, sophomore Devin Hager (Commerce Township, Mich.-Walled Lake Northern), then blooped an opposite field single to drive in the second run, tying the score at two. Ohio grabbed the lead back in the bottom of the second on a solo home run, making it 3-2 after two.
Following a scoreless third, Ohio smacked another solo home run in the fourth to take a two-run lead into the middle innings. McMurtrey tossed a scoreless fifth inning, and EMU got a run back in the top of the sixth. Owings led off the frame with a single, and proceeded to steal second on a failed pickoff attempt. A groundout advanced him to third, and freshman Eli Gora (Cincinnati, Ohio-Anderson) drove him in on a sacrifice fly, cutting the deficit to one, 4-3.
McMurtrey then tossed a 1-2-3 sixth, followed by two scoreless innings pitched from Sparks in the seventh and eighth innings, to keep it a one-run game into the ninth.
There, EMU stormed back to tie the game. Gora led off with a double, and one batter later, Nick Jones drove in his second runner of the night on a single to left, tying the contest at four. Sparks came back with a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth, including two strikeouts, to send it to extra innings.
EMU took full advantage of the strong late inning pitching from Sparks, as they completed the comeback in the top of the 10th. With two outs, Owings doubled, followed by an infield single from redshirt freshman Jeff Timko (Rochester Hills, MIch.-Brother Rice) to bring up Kauffman. For the second straight week, the freshman had the clutch hit, doubling in both runs, and giving EMU the 6-4 lead into the bottom of the 10th.
Sparks stayed in to finish the job in the bottom of the 10th, and sealed the deal with another three-up, three-down inning, locking up his sixth win of the season.
EMU has a quick turnaround as they return to the diamond tomorrow morning, April 14, for a doubleheader against Ohio. First pitch from Bob Wren Stadium is set for 9 a.m.
