Mid-American Conference

Friday’s Baseball Results
Kent State 7, Miami 1
Toledo 4, Bowling Green 0
Toledo 3, Bowling Green 0
Central Michigan 5, Ohio 3
Ball State 7, Western Michigan 1
Eastern Michigan 4, Northern Illinois 2
 
Stories courtesy of MAC Sports Information Departments
 
Kent State 7, Miami 1
Boxscore
OXFORD, OHIO – It was worth the wait.
 
After falling in Thursday's series opener, the Kent State Golden Flashes got back to business on Friday in Oxford, opening a tight game and cruising to a 7-1 win to clinch the squad's third straight conference regular season crown.
 
It was a much closer affair than the score might indicate, as KSU held a 2-1 lead in the seventh with the tying run on third. But John Matthews escaped damage by fanning the final hitter of the frame. It was just another in a long line of clutch pitching on the afternoon by Kent's arms. Jared Skolnicki started and weaved his way in and out of trouble and fellow lefty Connor Wollersheim was brilliant again in immediate relief, earning his fifth win.
 
Offensively the Golden Flashes were very adept at doing the little things. The first two KSU runs scored on ground-outs and Kent State added on late by combining clutch hitting with opportunistic base-running. The action forced MU into four errors in the game.
 
Victorious Kent State – which has now won a league regular season or tournament crown in 11 of the last 12 seasons – received RBIs from five different players. Reilly Hawkins, Mason Mamarella, Nick Kanavas, Pete Schuler and Michael Turner all drove in runs for KSU. Schuler continued to sizzle, turning in a three-hit game.
 
With the victory, Kent State is now the top seed in next week's MAC Tournament. The Flashes earn a first-round bye and will play the post-season opener on Thursday. KSU is guaranteed to be the home team as long as it remains alive in the tournament.
 
The series with MU wraps up Saturday morning at 11 a.m. The RedHawks must win to earn the two seed and the final opening-round bye.
 
Toledo 4, Bowling Green 0 -- Boxscore
Toledo 3, Bowling Green 0 – Boxscore
Toledo, Ohio— On the last day of the regular season, the Toledo baseball team posted two shutouts in a doubleheader against Bowling Green to complete the series sweep and keep its MAC Tournament hopes alive. UT won game one by a score of 4-0 and took game two, 3-0.
 
Senior Sam Shutes and junior Michael Jacob pitched back-to-back complete game shutouts for Toledo on Friday and the two pitchers helped UT close the weekend with 21 straight scoreless innings. Shutes was remarkable in game one, allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out nine. He retired the final 17 batters he faced, six of which came via the strikeout. Jacob was just as amazing on the mound, striking out eight and allowing six hits without walking a single batter. It was the first complete game for either pitcher in their respective careers.
 
Prior to Friday, the last complete game shutout by a Rocket was on May 10, 2014 against Western Michigan; Ryan Wilkinson accomplished that feat in game one of a doubleheader against the Broncos. The last time Toledo posted consecutive shutouts was April 18-19, 2015 against Northern Illinois.
 
After the second game, the Rockets honored their eight seniors: Dalton Bollinger, Casey Gose, Matt Hansen, AJ Montoya, Sam Shutes, Nolan Silberhorn, Corey Tipton, and Alex Wagner.
 
Toledo will now wait for results to roll in from the rest of the MAC this weekend to see if it will be making a trip to Avon, Ohio for the MAC Tournament. If Eastern Michigan loses on Friday evening or Saturday, or if Western Michigan loses on Saturday, the Rockets are in.

Central Michigan 5, Ohio 3
Boxscore
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - An early lead, solid pitching, and a defense that was good enough.
 
It all added up to a 5-3 win over Ohio on Friday for the Central Michigan baseball team at Keilitz Field at Theunissen Stadium.
 
The win, CMU's third straight, gave the Chippewas the series win. They go for the sweep on Saturday (2:05 p.m.) and then look ahead to next week's Mid-American Conference Tournament in Avon, Ohio.
 
CMU is 25-28-1, 15-11 MAC. Ohio is 21-31, 9-17.
 
The Chippewas batted around, scoring four runs on four hits in the first inning and never trailed.
 
Michael Brettell (6-6) started and earned the win, and Brandon Reed pitched the final three innings for his third save.
 
Jason Sullivan had a career-high four hits to lead the Chippewas, while Zach Heeke and Daniel Robinson added two apiece.
 
Sophomore Zach Gilles, the Chippewas' No. 8 hitter, had a two-out, two-run single to highlight the first inning.

Brettell, a junior right-hander, struck out three, walked one and allowed three runs on seven hits over six innings for his first win since since April 28. He was the losing pitcher in his last two starts, both of which were low-scoring affairs. In those two starts combined, he allowed six earned runs in 15 innings.
 
"It was good to get him a lead and play enough defense to get him out of there with a W because the last two times out he's thrown the ball really well and had tough losses," Jaksa said.
 
Reed, a freshman left-hander, struck out four and surrendered just one hit over the final three frames for his third save.
 
Ball State 7, Western Michigan 1
Boxscore

MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State baseball team evened the series against Western Michigan Friday afternoon behind a convincing 7-1 win. Tomorrow's regular season finale, which is also First Merchants Ballpark Fan Day, has been moved to 11 a.m. (originally 1 p.m.).
 
Junior William Baker got the Ball State (30-24, 16-10 MAC) offense rolling in the second inning. The outfielder tallied a three-run home run, his first of the season, down the left field line to make the score, 3-0. He would go on to finish 3-for-4 at the plate.
 
The three runs would be enough support for Cardinals starting pitcher Drey Jameson (7-1). The freshman held Western Michigan (23-24, 12-12) hitless through the first 4.2 innings. WMU's Connor Smith broke up the no-hitter with an RBI single in the top of the fifth inning to make the score, 5-1. However, Jameson didn't allow another hit in his six innings of work. Sophomore Mike Pachmayer tossed the final three innings and only surrendered one hit to earn his first collegiate save.
 
Senior Justin Kirkpatrick, senior Seth Freed and junior John Ricotta each chipped in with an RBI as Ball State notched at least one hit in every inning. Senior Colin Brockhouse finished 3-for-5 with two doubles and a run scored.
 
With the win, the Cardinals reached the 30-win plateau for the sixth consecutive year.

Eastern Michigan 4, Northern Illinois 2
Boxscore
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team prevailed in another down-to-the-wire finish in a 4-2 win over Northern Illinois University Friday evening, May 18, at Oestrike Stadium. EMU (22-31, 14-12 MAC) once again danced around heavy NIU (19-36, 8-18) base traffic, using key pitching, and hitting to sneak away with another win.
 
The Eagles were again out-hit by a significant margin, this time 12-5, but NIU left 11 men on base. Meanwhile, EMU made the most of its five hits, as well as five walks, led by a two-hit performance from junior John Rensel Jr. (Tallmadge, Ohio-Tallmadge), including a two-run home run, his second of the season.
 
On the mound, freshman Dillon Schroeder (Temperace, Mich.-Bedford Senior) earned the first win of his college career after pitching two scoreless innings in relief, including a career-best tying three strikeouts. Senior Brad Allen (Manchester, Mich.-Manchester (Jackson College)) took a no decision in his final Oestrike Stadium start, as he went the first four innings without yielding a run on five hits with four strikeouts.
 
Also pitching in relief, freshman Scott Granzotto (Northville, Mich.-Gabriel Richard) tossed 1.2 blank innings to keep EMU ahead in the late innings. Finally, junior Caleb Hester (Coloma, Mich.-Coloma) notched his third save of the year after tossing a 1-2-3 ninth inning.
 
EMU opened the scoring much earlier in this game than last night, getting on the board in the second. Sophomore Nick Jones (Battle Creek, Mich.-Lakeview) led that inning off with a nine-pitch walk, and he advanced to second on a ground out. The next batter, freshman Jared Kauffman (Springboro, Ohio-Bishop Fenwick), lined a single up the middle to plate Jones and make it 1-0 early on.
 
Allen tossed his third-straight scoreless inning in the top of the third, and EMU's offense continued to heat up in the bottom half, as Rensel Jr. smacked a two-run, opposite field home run to open up a 3-0 advantage. It was his second homer of the season and fourth of his career.
 
After a scoreless fourth from Allen, Schroeder entered to pitch the fifth and picked up where Allen left off, tossing a scoreless frame to keep the shutout in tact. EMU capitalized on some NIU miscues in the bottom of the fifth after two runners reached on a walk, and poor fielder's choice on a ground ball to shortstop.
 
With two aboard, Nick Jones hit a double play ball, but the throw on the relay sailed wide of first base, allowing the runner who was on second to score. After five, EMU's lead remained steady at four.
 
Schroeder continued to mow down opposing batters in the sixth as he struck out two more to keep the shutout going. The shutout was broken in the seventh inning as NIU tallied a couple runs, but Granzotto came on from bullpen to get out of a runners on the corners jam to preserve a two-run lead.
 
The Eagles ran into a little more trouble in the top of the eighth as NIU got a pair of runners on base, but Granzotto navigated through the traffic with a pop out and his first strikeout to remain ahead by two.
 
EMU could not get any insurance in the bottom of the eighth, setting up the ninth inning with the 4-2 score. There, Hester entered looking for the save, and went 1-2-3 to earn his third one of the year, as well as clinch the series.
 
The series and regular season finale comes tomorrow, May 19, at Oestrike Stadium. The Senior Day affair is set to begin with a 1 p.m. first pitch.