Mid-American Conference

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University baseball team picked up its first win of the season as it outlasted the University of Notre Dame, 4-2, behind strong pitching and a balanced offense at the Alamo Irish Classic Friday, Feb. 22.

Sophomore Holden Cook (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Casady (Murray State))was outstanding on the mound in just the second start of his career. The Oklahoma City, Okla. native tossed six scoreless innings, allowing just four hits, and striking out three en route to the win. Redshirt junior Caleb Hester(Coloma, Mich.-Coloma) locked down the game, throwing the final 2.1 innings to record his first career save.

Eastern Michigan tallied nine hits spread out among eight players. Freshman Stephen Karis (Zionsville, Ind.-Zionsville Community) paced the Green and White offensively, going 2-for-4 at the plate with two RBI and a run scored. Meanwhile, senior Cameron Cruz (Chandler, Ariz.-Hamilton (Mesa C.C.)) and junior Jacob Bolton (Lewis Center, Ohio-Bishop Watterson (Sinclair C.C.)) drove in a run each.

Entering the fourth tied at 0-0, senior John Rensel Jr. (Tallmadge, Ohio-Tallmadge) walked with one out and moved onto second on a passed ball with Bolton at the plate. Up in the count, 2-0, Bolton singled to center to drive in Rensel Jr. from third and put the Eagles in front, 1-0.

The Green and White doubled its lead in the fifth, as Karis led the frame off with a single and advanced to second on an error. Jones moved Karis to third with a sacrifice bunt, setting the table for Cruz's RBI single through the left side to extend Eastern's advantage to 2-0 through five.

Eastern Michigan's bats came alive with two outs in the sixth, as the Eagles cranked out four straight hits to push a pair of runs across. Redshirt sophomore Jeff Timko (Rochester Hills, Mich.-Brother Rice) got things going with a single and junior Devin Hager (Commerce Twp., Mich.-Walled Lake Northern) followed suit to put runners on the corners before swiping second. Stepping to the plate with two in scoring position, Karis' second base knock of the day double EMU's lead to 4-0. Sophomore Nate Jones (Battle Creek, Mich.-Lakeview) kept the inning alive with a double down the left field line to force a Notre Dame pitching change, but a strikeout ended Eastern's rally.

Cook ran into some trouble in the sixth as Notre Dame put two runners aboard with one away, but an inning-ending double play thwarted the Fighting Irish's threat and ended Cook's impressive day.

With Eastern's offense slowing down, Notre Dame broke through for a run in the seventh, cutting Eastern's lead to three, 4-1, behind a pair of doubles. 

Entering the game following an RBI double by ND, Hester escaped jams in each of the next three innings to earn the save and seal EMU's first win of the year, 4-2.

After an off day, Eastern wraps up play at the Alamo Irish Classic Sunday, Feb. 24, against the University of Incarnate Word. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT.

BEAUMONT, Texas. – Timely hits, and plenty of them, along with solid pitching got the Central Michigan baseball team off to a 2-0 start to the weekend on Friday as the Chippewas downed Prairie View A&M and then host Lamar in their first two games of the Cardinal Classic at Lamar's Vincent-Beck Stadium.
 
Zach Heeke had five hits and drove in seven runs to lead the Chippewas to a 15-2 victory over Prairie View A&M. The two Camerons, Brown and Miller, then teamed up on the mound to lift CMU past Lamar, 4-2.
 
The win over Lamar was CMU's fourth straight as it improved to 4-2. The Chippewas are scheduled to take on Prairie View A&M on Saturday (1 p.m.) and then is scheduled to close its weekend trip to Texas with a game on Sunday (2 p.m.) against Lamar.
 
"It's great after a long travel day to get two wins," CMU coach Jordan Bischel said.
 
GAME 1
Heeke, a junior, hit a two-run single in the second inning and then added another two-run single in the fourth as CMU seized a 4-0 lead over Prairie View A&M.
 
The Chippewas exploded for eight runs in the sixth inning and then added three in the eighth.
 
Senior Pat Leatherman (1-0) started and went six innings for his first victory of the season. 
 
GAME 2
Griffin Lockwood-Powell hit his second home run of the season in the second inning to put the Chippewas on the board against Lamar, and then Jacob Crum smacked a two-run triple and Chase Rollin added a run-scoring single in the fourth to lead CMU at the plate.
 
Brown (2-0) tossed 7 1/3 innings, allowing two earned runs while striking out five and walking one.
 
Miller came on with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth. He got a strikeout and a groundball to end the inning and the threat. He earned his second save.
 
"Cameron Miller is a strike thrower and he came in and did just that, pounded the strike zone," Bischel said. "He did a great job trusting himself and his teammates."

CONWAY, S.C. –The Kent State baseball team dropped to 0-4 on the season, falling to NC State in 11 innings. Senior Connor Wollersheim led the Flashes from the mound tossing 6.2 innings, tallying eight strikeouts while allowing only three hits and one run.

The Flashes took a 2-0 lead over the Pack in the third inning and held the advantage until the bottom of the eighth. In the top of the third, senior Josh Hollanderreached on a fielding error and advanced to third on a single to left center by junior Cam Touchette. Sophomore Michael Turner recorded the first RBI with a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Hollander. Parks followed with a single to right field, pushing Touchette across the plate for Kent State's final run.

Kent State held the Wolfpack scoreless until the bottom of the sixth, when NC State tallied its first run of the game on an RBI single up the middle. The Pack tied it up in the bottom of eighth on a lead-off home run to left field.

The Flashes looked to go ahead in the top of the ninth, as senior Pete Schuler led off the inning with a single to right center, however sophomore Greg Lewandoski's line drive was nabbed by the NC State second baseman for a double play. 

Kent State pitching held the game tied until the 11th inning, stranding five runners on base in the ninth and tenth innings. NC State scored the winning run on a two-out single down the left field line.

Offensively, the Flashes out-hit NC State with eight hits, seeing six different players record a hit. Freshman Collin Mathews led the Flashes with two hits and walk, while Touchette added two hits of his own. 

The Kent State battery combined for 11 strikeouts on the night, allowing seven hits and eight walks. Junior Zach Schults suffered the loss out of the bullpen, tossing 1.2 innings to close the game. Sophomore Jack Zimmerman also pitched 2.1 innings in relief, retiring seven of the ten batters he faced and striking out two.

The Flashes are slated to face No. 21 Coastal Carolina tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. in Conway, S.C.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning and held the Ball State baseball bats in check all night on the way to a 7-1 victory Friday evening at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
 
Ball State (1-4) starting pitcher Drey Jameson, who struck out nine batters and held No. 12 Stanford hitless in six innings in his first outing, struck out nine batters again, but was also charged with five earned runs in four-plus innings of work against Alabama (4-1).
 
The Crimson Tide tallied a pair of two-out RBI hits in the opening frame to grab the early 3-0 lead. Keith Holcombe then hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth to stretch the cushion to 6-0.
 
Alabama's pitching held the Cardinals scoreless until the top of the ninth inning. Nick Powell scored on Noah Navarro's RBI groundout.
 
The two teams will attempt to play game two on Saturday, weather permitting. The start time has been pushed up to 1 p.m. ET (noon CT). 

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The Ohio Baseball team (1-3) dropped the series opener with Cal Baptist (6-0), 7-1, on Friday evening at Totman Stadium.

Ohio jumped on the board early with a run in the first inning. Sophomore INF Aaron Levy (Cincinnati, Ohio) started the game off with a double to left field. Levy advanced to third on a wild pitch before senior INF Rudy Rott (Holmen, Wis.) drove him in with a single to right field. Rott swiped second but the Bobcats were unable to bring him home after moving into scoring position.

Rott finished 2-for-4 with one RBI. Through four games, Rott is 6-of-17 (.353) with two doubles and three RBI. Rott's season on-base percentage is .389, while he's swiped one bag. Levy ended the day with Ohio's only run scored and was 1-for-4 with a double and a walk. 

Ohio had five total team hits – two for extra bases – and drew five walks. Junior INF Trevor Hafner (Perrysburg, Ohio) recorded two of those walks, while sophomore INF Treyben Funderburg (Beavercreek, Ohio) also reached on a walk.

Cal Baptist answered in the second inning with three runs of their own. The Lancers added a run in the fourth and sixth to give CBU a 5-1 lead. Cal Baptist furthered the advantage in the bottom half of the eighth inning with two more runs.

Ohio was able to put two runners on in the ninth inning when redshirt sophomore C Dan McCauley (Pittsburgh, Pa.) ripped a doubled to center field on an 0-2 pitch. Levy walked to put runners on first and second but Ohio was unable to move the runners over.

McCauley finished the day 1-for-2 with a double and a walk. 

Senior RHP Kenny Ogg (Indianapolis, Ind.) earned the Friday start for the second time this season, striking out a season-best seven batters in 4.2 innings pitched. Ogg allowed four earned runs and walked two batters while falling to 0-2 on the year. Ogg has tossed 9.2 innings this season and struckout a team-best 11 batters.

Freshman RHP Braxton Kelly (Ulysses, Ky.) allowed one earned run in 1.1 innings of relief. Kelly fanned two batters while walking two. Kelly has tossed 3.1 innings in two appearances.

Sophomore RHP Chace Harris (New Marshfield, Ohio) recorded all three outs as strikeouts in 1.0 innings pitched. Harris walked one batter. The New Marshfield, Ohio native has made two appearances in relief this season and has not allowed a run.

Junior LHP Derek Carr (Newark, Ohio) tossed 1.0 inning of relief and allowed two earned runs one two hits and a walk. Tonight was Carr's season debut on the mound.
Ohio will continue the series tomorrow with a doubleheader. First pitch in twin bill is set for 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT at Totman Stadium. Both games will be streamed live here.