Mid-American Conference

HOOVER, Ala. – The Miami University baseball team got into the win column on Saturday as it split its doubleheader with Saint Louis. The RedHawks used a strong pitching performance to take a 3-2 victory in the opener. The nightcap was tight throughout, until a seven-run eighth inning by the Billikens allowed them to come away with a 10-3 win. Miami is now 1-2 on the season, while Saint Louis is 2-1.

GAME 1
Miami struck first in game one with two runs in the bottom of the third inning. Sophomore catcher Nate Stolze singled and advanced to second base on a balk. Senior Mackay Williams reached on an error. After a groundout, Stolze was able to score after the ball was thrown down to second base. Junior third baseman Landon Stephens came up and tripled Williams home to make it 2-0.

With two out in the bottom of the fourth, Stolze again singled and then stole second. Williams then brought him home with an RBI to make it 3-0.

Meanwhile freshman pitcher Sam Bachman was cruising along in his first career start. He did not give up a hit until the top of the fifth inning. The Billikens were finally able to strike against him in the top of the sixth, scoring a run off a pair of hits. Bachman earned the victory, allowing only one run on three hits in 5.2 innings pitched. He struck out seven.

Junior pitcher Alex Stobert came in and ended Saint Louis' sixth inning threat. They were able to strike for one more in the top of the seventh to make it 3-2.

In the top of the ninth, a walk and a fielding error gave the Billikens runners at first and second with no one out. Senior pitcher Andy Almquist came in to relieve Stobert. SLU put down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners to second and third. Almquist then induced a popup and got a strikeout to record the save and get the 3-2 win.

Stolze finished game one 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Sophomore right fielder Parker Massman was also 2-for-3.

GAME 2
Saint Louis scored one run in the bottom of the first and two in the bottom of the third to take a 3-0 lead to begin game two.

The RedHawks got back into it with two runs in the top of the fourth. Junior catcher Cal Elvers led off with a double. Freshman designated hitter Cole Andrews followed by drawing a walk. Each advanced a base on a wild pitch. Junior second baseman Colin Shepherd grounded out, which brought home Elvers. After Saint Louis made a pitching change, sophomore Cristian Tejada doubled to score Andrews and cut the deficit to 3-2.

It stayed that way for the next four innings as senior pitcher Jack Corbell and freshman pitcher Tyler Bosma kept the Billikens off the board. Miami was finally able to break through and tie the score in the top of the eighth. With one out, Elvers drew a walk. A hit by Andrews moved Elvers to third. Shepherd then put down a squeeze but to get Elvers home and tie the score at three.

Comeback hopes would be dashed however in the bottom of the eighth as Saint Louis scored seven runs to secure the 10-3 win.

Tejada finished the nightcap 2-for-3 with one RBI. Andrews was 2-for-3 with one run scored, while Shepherd finished 1-for-4 with two RBIs.

Miami completes its series against Saint Louis on Sunday. Due to expected rain in the forecast, the game time has been moved up to 11 a.m. (EST).

SPARTANSBURG, S.C. – The Ohio Baseball team (1-2) spilt a doubleheader on Saturday at Wofford (2-1) to close out the Bobcats' opening weekend. 

Ohio won the first game, 6-2, and lost the second game, 5-2. Wofford took the first game of the series on Friday, 2-0.

GAME ONE
Redshirt junior OF Ryan Sargent (Algonquin, Ill.) led the way for the Bobcats, going 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. Sargent had a double in the third inning that plated both of his RBI and he also came around to score twice. 

Freshman LHP Joe Rock (Aliquippa, Pa.) earned his first win of his collegiate career after coming in during the fourth inning and tossing 2.2 innings. Rock gave up two earned runs while striking out three batters. Rock faced 13 batters and walked just one.

Ohio wasted no time scoring when junior INF Trevor Hafner(Perrysburg, Ohio) ripped a double that scored senior INF Rudy Rott(Holmen, Wis.).
Wofford scored two runs in the first inning to a 2-1 lead but Ohio would tie the game in the second. After a Sargent single, he went on to swipe second base to move into scoring position. Sargent moved to third on an infield single before and was brought home when sophomore INF Aaron Levy (Cincinnati, Ohio) ripped a single to left field to tie the game at 2-2.

Levy finished the game 2-for-6 with two singles.

The Bobcats ripped the game open with three runs in the third. Ohio had runners on first and second when Sargent ripped a double that scored redshirt freshman OF Trevor Lukkes (Tustin, Calif.) and redshirt sophomore INF Michael Richardson. A junior OF Jack Longo (Mayfield, Ohio) single scored Sargent. 

Longo went 3-of-5 with one RBI on the day. Lukkes reached base twice with a single and a walk while Richardson also reached twice with a single and a walk while scoring one run.

The Terriers were able to put up two runs in the bottom of the fifth, but Ohio answered in the top of the sixth inning for the final run of the game. After Hafner knocked one through the right side of the infield for a single, a sacrifice bunt moved him to second. Hafner advanced to third on a wild pitch before scoring on another wild pitch to make the game 6-2.

Ohio's starter redshirt freshman RHP Jack Liberatore (Greensburg, Pa.) went 3.1 innings and allowed two earned runs on three hits and three walks. Sophomore RHP Chance Harris (New Marshfield, Ohio), redshirt senior Nick Kamrada (Grand Ledge, Mich.) and sophomore LHP Brett Manis (Port Huron, Mich.) each tossed an inning of scoreless relief. Manis earned his first save of the season and fanned two batters.

GAME TWO
Ohio jumped out to an early 2-0 advantage when Rott doubled to left center field that scored Levy and sophomore OF Sebastian Fabik (Lebanon, Ohio). Wofford tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the first.

Rott ended the day 2-for-5 with two RBI and one double.

Wofford would score one run in the third, fourth and sixth inning to go up 5-2, which would end up being the final score.

Levy reached twice with a single and walk while scoring one run. Fabik scored Ohio's other run and also ripped a single. Sargent was 1-for-3 with a single and a walk on the day.

Freshman RHP Braxton Kelly (Ulysses, Ky.) tossed two innings of scoreless baseball to close the game. Freshman RHP Matt Brosky (Strongsville, Ohio) threw 2.1 innings of relief and allowed one earned run two hits. Brosky struckout two batters.

Ohio's starter, freshman RHP Eamon Horwedel (Ann Arbor, Mich.) was given the loss after allowing four earned runs in 3.2 innings pitched. Horwedel – making his collegiate debut – struckout three batters.

Ohio will travel to Cal Baptist for a four-game series in Riverside, California. Ohio will begin the series on Friday, Feb. 22 at 9 p.m. ET. The Bobcats will play two on Saturday beginning at 5 p.m. ET and will wrap up the series on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET.

PHOENIX, Ariz. - After scoring three runs in the first two games of the season against top-tier competition, Ball State's bats exploded for crooked numbers in a 10-6 win over Cal State Bakersfield Saturday evening. The game, BSU's third of the season and second of the day, was played at Grand Canyon University.

Ball State (1-2) lost to GCU in the day's first game 12-2.

"The boys stayed the course to earn the split," head coach Rich Maloney said. "We got a lot of big two-out RBIs and a lot of different players contributed."

Noah Navarro, starting at second base this opening weekend after missing most of last year with an injury, led the day with five hits and three runs. He had three hits in the loss to GCU and then went 2-for-5 with a double and and scored twice as BSU earned its first win of the year. On the day, Griffin Hulecki and John Ricotta each had four hits and Ross Messina had three hits, scored twice and drove in three runs. Hulecki has gonen 2-for-4 in each of the season's three games.

On the mound, Chayce McDermott stood out in his first career start. McDermott pitched 4.0 innings against CSUB and left the game with a 7-2 lead. Nick Floyd was credited with the win, working 3.1 innings while allowing just one earned run. Nolan Gazouski finished the win for the save, the third of his career.

In the win over Cal State Bakersfield, the game was tied 2-2 when Ball State broke the game open. The Cards plated five runs in the 4th, keyed by a two-run double by Messina and a two-run single by Chase Sebby. Sebby went 3-for-4 against CSUB with a walk and two RBIs. The Cards added some insurance runs in the 7th and cruised to the Saturday split.

In the early game, Ball State struck first against GCU. Navarro scored in the 1st before Grand Canyon (2-0) answered with four runs in the bottom of the inning. GCU led the rest of the way, breaking the game open with three runs in both the 7th and 8th innings. Grand Canyon's Kona Quiggle had two hits, two walks and drove in four runs. 

Hulecki and Ricotta each had a pair of hits. Ricotta scored on a single by Navarro in the 2nd. Kyle Nicolas started the game and took the loss, pitching 2.2 innings with three strikeouts and six walks. He allowed just one hit.

The Cardinals conclude the Arizona trip Sunday with a rematch against CSUB.  Fans can follow on Twitter or LISTEN LIVE on BallStateSports.com.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Bowling Green State University baseball team split a doubleheader at Middle Tennessee State University on Saturday (Feb. 16). Bowling Green dropped the first game of the day, 3-2, before taking the series finale by a score of 4-3.
 
Bowling Green is now 1-2 on the young season. Middle Tennessee won the series opener on Friday, and claimed the series victory by winning the first game of today's doubleheader.
 
After MTSU took a 2-0 lead in the first game, the Falcons battled back to tie the game with two runs in the fifth. Neil Lambert doubled home Ty Suntken, and then Lambert came around to score later in the inning following an error.
 
A two-out single in the bottom of the eighth inning scored the game-winning run for the Blue Raiders. Will MacLean got the start for the Falcons, and was strong on the hill. The righty allowed just two runs on four hits while striking out five over 5.1 innings of work. Jay Ward and Andrew Abrahamowicz turned in scoreless outings from out of the BGSU bullpen.
 
After falling behind by a score of 3-0 in the second game of the day, the Falcons yet again battled back, scoring three times in the fifth to tie the ballgame. Bowling Green plated the game-winning run just an inning later in the sixth.
 
Gama Martinez scored on a throwing error after drawing a walk to leadoff the fifth. His run got the Falcons on the board, and then Jake Wilson scored Dylan Dohanoson a sacrifice fly. Mike Malewitz proceeded to tie the game with a double, scoring Riley Minorik.
 
In the sixth, after a Lambert leadoff double, a throwing error allowed the BGSU shortstop to score. The run would be all the Falcons needed, as Daniel Buratto picked up the win in relief by shoving 2.2 innings of scoreless baseball. Griffin Parrill earned the 3.0-inning save, allowing just two hits in the process.

HOOVER, Ala. (EMUEagles.com) - For the second consecutive day, the Eastern Michigan University baseball team is leaving Hoover Metropolitan Complex without a victory, as it dropped both games of a doubleheader to NJIT, Saturday, Feb. 16. The two game Saturday set saw the Eagles overpowered 10-4 in game one, before falling in the nightcap via walk-off 10-9.
 
EMU (0-3) fell behind quickly in both games, making it challenging to complete a comeback in either contest. In the early game, EMU saw itself trailing 5-0 in the fourth inning. Although the Eagles would eventually tally four runs in  a 10-4 first game loss, they would never display the offensive firepower to overcome the first game deficit. The narrative was similar in game two, where although the Eagles jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, they would fall behind 5-2 in the second inning, forcing EMU to try to play comeback the rest of the game. 
 
GAME ONE: Eastern Michigan 4, NJIT 10

The first game of the doubleheader saw two scoreless innings of baseball to start the game, as sophomore transfer Holden Cook (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Casady (Murray State)) started his EMU career by retiring the first three batters he faced.  Following a lead-off walk in the second inning, Cook again blanked three consecutive Highlanders. Offensively, the Eagles had numerous chances to jump out to an early lead, but failed to take advantage, stranding two runners in scoring position in the second inning.

The fourth inning proved to be costly for the Eagles, as NJIT scored three runs, taking control of the game. A leadoff triple, followed by an ensuing RBI single, started the festivities for the Highlander offense. Another double, and RBI single, helped NJIT extend its lead to 5-0.

In the following inning, Eastern Michigan began to show life, stringing together three  consecutive singles, from freshman Taylor Hopkins (Mason, Ohio-Archbishop Moeller), junior Nick Jones (Battle Creek, Mich.-Lakeview), and senior Cameron Cruz (Chandler, Ariz.-Hamilton). Hopkins was the bright point of the game, offensively, as he collected his first two collegiate hits during the contest. Later in the inning, a fielder's choice and sac fly, allowed the Eagles to cut into the deficit.

While the Eagles struggled defensively, giving up 10 runs on 10 hits in game one, Scott Granzotto (Northville, Mich.-Gabriel Richard) showed why he is considered to be a steady young left-hander. In his first inning of work, coming in the sixth inning, Granzotto played a pivotal role in helping to contain the NJIT offense, as he retired the side in order. Granzotto went on two pitch three innings, giving up just one run, via a solo home run to NJIT's Paul Franzoni, who ended game one of the series in walk-off fashion with his ninth inning two-run home run. 

Eastern pulled within four, 7-3, but NJIT proved to be too powerful in the late innings, handing EMU a 10-4 setback.

GAME TWO: Eastern Michigan 9, NJIT 10 (10 innings)

The second game of the double dip provided more excitement than game one. With the excitement, however, came heartbreak, as the Eagles fell victim to a walk-off home run, for the second consecutive day, this time in extra innings, when Julio Marcano blasted a solo shot in the tenth. 

Characterized by pitching woes, the Eagles again gave up double digit hits, (15) and runs, (10), in the contest. Within the defensive struggles, however, there were plenty of positives from the Green and White in Saturday's second game. For Eastern, junior Remington Monce (Largo, Ind.-Northfield (Jackson College)) made his first start at the Division I level, going 4.0 innings, including a pair of scoreless frames. Monce gave way to freshman Justin Meis (Pittsburgh, Pa.- Bethel Park) who made his first-ever collegiate appearance when he took the mound in the fifth inning. Meis pitched five complete innings for EMU, including three scoreless. Tallying four strikeouts, Meis delivered his best work in the ninth inning, keeping Eastern alive with a chance to win the game in extras.

Offensively, the Eagles came alive in the seventh and ninth innings, fighting off a three-run deficit to tie the game, and send it to extra innings. In the ninth inning, a slew of Eagles helped push three runs across the plate. Alex Wolanski (Naperville, Ill.-Neuqua Valley) showed his veteran patience, as the redshirt senior led off the inning with a walk. Junior Jacob Bolton (Lewis Center, Ohio-Bishop Watterson) followed with a single for his first hit of the year. Later in the inning, Zachary Owings (Saline, Mich.-Saline) drew a bases loaded walk, brining the game within two runs. Two sacrifice flies, produced by junior Nick Jones and senior John Rensel  Jr. (Tallmadge, Ohio-Tallmadge) tied the game at 9-9. Unable to score in the 10th inning, EMU saw its comeback hopes end when NJIT hit a game winning home run in the bottom half of the frame. 

Eastern returns to game action Sunday, Feb. 17, when it looks to earn a win in the series finale against NJIT, in a game that will be played at 9:30 a.m. CT, inside Hoover Metropolitan Complex, in Hoover, Ala. Following the series, the Eagles will make a trip to Texas, where it will participate in the Alamo Irish Classic, against Notre Dame and Incarnate Word, Feb. 21-24, in San Antonio.

TROY, Ala. – Logan Buczkowski got a strikeout with two runners in scoring position in the bottom of the ninth inning Saturday as the Central Michigan baseball team held off Troy, 5-3, in the second game of a nonconference doubleheader at the Trojans' Riddle-Pace Field.
 
It was the first win of the season for CMU (1-2) and the first for first-year coach Jordan Bischel. The Chippewas dropped the opening game of the twinbill, 7-6. The Chippewas and Trojans are scheduled to close the season-opening four-game series on Sunday (noon).
 
"Today had two more hard fought games," said Bischel, who saw his Chippewas drop a 3-2 decision in Friday's opener, his first game as the Chippewas' skipper. "It will really help us as the season progresses to have been in challenging situations in a tough road setting."

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The Northern Illinois University baseball team opened its 2019 season Saturday at Totman Stadium, dropping two close games to the California Baptist University Lancers by scores of 8-4 and 4-2.
 
"We saw a lot of good things out there today," said head coach Mike Kunigonis. "We battled and fought every step of the way. [Ty] Jandrowski pitched a heck of a game in game two. We just came up a little short for him."
 
Game two started as a pitcher's dual between NIU's (0-2) Ty Jandrowski (Kenosha, Wis./Madison College) and CBU's Andrew Bash, with neither starter allowing a run in the first three innings. The Huskies got on the board in the top of the fourth. Tommy Szczasny (Tinley Park, Ill./Lincoln-Way North) led off the inning with a double to left field. Jake Dunham (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) then ripped a single up the middle to score Szczasny and put the Huskies ahead 1-0. NIU took a 2-0 lead in the top of the sixth. Kam Smith (Colonial Beach, Va./The Steward School) and Jordan Larson (Dodgeville, Wis./College of DuPage) led off the inning with back-to-back singles. After both runners advanced on a Bash throwing error, Connor Montgomery (Newport Beach, Calif./Canyon) hit an RBI groundout to score Smith.
 
Jandrowski retired the first eight batters he faced in the game, allowing two hits and a walk in the first five innings. In the bottom of the sixth, the Lancers tied the game on a two-out, two-run home run by Ryan Mota. Tristan Michaels (Barrington, Ill./Triton College) came in for Jandrowski and struck out Harrison Spohn to end the inning and keep the game tied at two. CBU took the lead in the bottom of the eighth. Luke Navigato led off the inning with a home run to left center. Michaels then retired Chad Castillo and Bash, but Mota hit his second home run of the game to make the score 4-2. Matt Amrhein came in to close the game in the ninth and retired the Huskies in order to give the Lancers the sweep of the doubleheader.
 
Szczasny was 2-for-3 with a walk in the nightcap. Jandrowski allowed two runs in 5.2 innings, striking out two with four hits and a walk. Michaels pitch 2.1 innings of relief with four strikeouts.
 
In game one, the Lancers got to NIU starting pitcher Michael Lasiewicz (McHenry, Ill./McHenry) early with three straight hits to load the bases. Lasiewicz held CBU to just one run as Mota grounded into a double play that scored the leadoff hitter Navigato, then got Spohn to fly out. The Huskies took the lead in the top of the second as solo home runs by Montgomery and Nick Drobushevich (Moline, Ill./Moline) put NIU ahead 2-1.
 
CBU (2-0) tied the game in the bottom of the second when Jojn Glenn led off the inning with a home run to left field. With runners at first and second with one out, Navigato drove in two runs with a double to give the Lancers a 4-2 lead. NIU came back to tie the game in the top of the fifth. Paddy McKermitt(Hampshire, Ill./Burlington Central) reached on a dropped third strike to lead off the frame. Drobushevich then singled to left, followed by a bunt single by Brendan Joyce (South Elgin, Ill./Parkland College) to load the bases. Dylan Lonteen (Peoria, Ill./Illinois Central College) drove in McKermitt with a sacrifice fly to center field to make the score 4-3. Szczasny then brought in Drobushevich on an RBI groundout to level the game at four.
 
The Lancers broke the tie in the bottom of the sixth. Smith led off with a single and got to second base after a Lasiewicz wild pitch. Rockefeller then dropped a sacrifice bunt to get Smith to third. Following a walk to Angelo Capolupo, Parker Kirkpatrick (Lawrence, Kan./Lawrence) came into the game for Lasiewicz. Capolupo stole second to give CBU runners at second and third with one out. Navigato then reached on an infield single, scoring Rory Smith to give the Lancers a 5-4 lead. Castillo then smashed a three-run homer to make the score 8-4. CBU's Logan Rinehart and Bryan Pope made that lead hold. Rinehart pitched a perfect seventh to finish his day with seven strikeouts, allowing four runs on four hits. Pope allowed one hit in the final two innings to close the CBU victory.
 
Lasiewicz struck out seven in 5.1 innings, allowing six runs on eight hits and four walks. Drobushevich was 2-for-3 in game one with his first career home run.
 
NIU and CBU will play another doubleheader on Sunday to close the weekend. Game one will be a nine-inning game at 11 a.m., followed by a seven-inning game.

DALLAS, Texas – The Kent State baseball fell to 0-2 on the season with an 8-4 loss to Dallas Baptist (2-0) Saturday afternoon despite a spark of offense. Freshman Collin Mathews highlighted launched a two-run pinch hit home run in his first collegiate at bat.

Kent State's bats warmed up in the second game of the season as the offense matched Dallas Baptist with nine hits. The Patriots came up with key defensive plays that kept the Kent State offense at bay.

"We played better today, and I thought we had really good at bats all day," head coach Jeff Duncan said. "Defensively, we had two costly mistakes that made the difference again in today's game. We just need to stay positive. We have the ability, ut we also need to realize that we don't get these games back. All we can do is learn from this. Matthews threw the ball well today, and Max Rippl and Ryan Kircher looked good in their debuts.

The Flashes fell behind 3-0 early as the Patriots pushed across three runs with two-outs in the bottom of the first inning, and threatened in the top of the second. With two outs, sophomore Nick Elsen ripped a double to left center and sophomore Michael Turner followed with a walk. Sophomore Greg Lewandoski nearly scored Elsen with single rocketed to left, but he was thrown out in a close play at home to end the inning.

Kent State tallied its first run of the season in the fifth, stringing together hits from Turner, Ben Carew and Cam Touchette. Touchette lined a shot to left that looked to score two, but Dallas Baptist's diving left fielder made the catch and doubled off Carew at second, only after the Flashes crossed the plate for their first run of the night. The Patriots responded with a run in the bottom of the inning bringing the score to 4-2, Patriots.

The Flashes started to come back in the top of the sixth, adding a run off the bat of pinch hitter Alex Ronnebaum, but the Patriots tacked on four more runs in the bottom half of the inning to make it 8-2, Dallas Baptist. Collin Mathews tallied the final runs of the day in the ninth, entering the game as pinch hitter and soaring a two-run home run over left field fence.

Junior John Matthews suffered the loss on the mound, despite a strong outing. The Punxsutawney, Pa. native fanned eight batters in 4.2 innings of work, walking two and allowing two earned runs. Red-shirt freshman Peyton Deats added 1.0 innings out of the bullpen, and freshmen Ryan Kircher and Max Rippl came in as relief for their first career appearances.

The Flashes will close out the series at Dallas Baptist at Horner Ballpark Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. EST.