Friday’s MAC Baseball Results
Ball State 8, Kent State 2
Western Michigan 8, Central Michigan 3
Eastern Michigan 10, Northern Illinois 4
Toledo 5, Bowling Green 2
Akron 4, Ohio 2
West Virginia 7, Miami 6
Stories courtesy of MAC Sports Information Departments
Ball State 8, Kent State 2
Boxscore
MUNCIE - A split last weekend at Central Michigan got the Ball State baseball team within a game of first place, and the deficit has been cut to zero. Ball State (31-14, 22-7) routed Kent State 8-2 on Friday afternoon, and coupled with a Central Michigan loss at Western Michigan, move into 1st place in the MAC standings.
Home runs by Ryan Peltier and Chase Sebby were the big shots in Friday's win, more than enough for John Baker to earn his 6th win of the season and 24th of his career.
A wacky 1st inning for BSU provided all the scoring the Cardinals would need. With two outs, a dropped third strike and a hit batter allowed Peltier to bat with runners on. He lifted a fly ball over the fence in right, his 4th homer of the season. The 3-run shot would stand up behind Baker, who pitched 8.0 innings with just one run allowed.
Baker sat down the first 16 Kent State batters he faced before allowing an infield single in the top of the 6th. Kent State finally put together a couple hits in the 9th, and only two KSU runners reached 3rd base against him. Baker struck out seven with no walks in a 107-pitch clinic that included 77 strikes and 30 balls.
A leadoff double by Noah Navarro, followed by a 2-run single by Nick Powell, put the game away in the 7th. Ball State scored five runs in the inning, highlighted by a 2-run homer by Sebby on a towering flyball out to left field. Trenton Quartermaine also had an RBI single in the bottom of the 7th, and moments later made a slick play at 1st base in the 8th.
Powell (hitting a team-best .342) and Ross Messina each had two hits and scored twice. Justin Kirby, Kent State's 8-hole hitter, was the only visiting player with two hits. Collin Romel pitched well for KSU, a quality start of 6.0 innings and two earned runs. Only one Cardinal baserunner reached 3rd base against Romel between innings 2-6.
Fans should note Saturday's doubleheader begins at 1 p.m. Chayce McDermott will start the first game against expected KSU starter Luke Albright. Lukas Jaksich will take the ball in the late game.
Western Michigan 8, Central Michigan 3
Boxscore
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Powered by clutch two-out hitting the Western Michigan baseball team defeated in-state rival Central Michigan 8-3 in the series opener on Friday afternoon inside Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field.
All eight of the Broncos runs were scored with two outs as WMU's eight runs was the fourth most given up by Central Michigan this season. Western Michigan recorded 10 hits against the MAC leading Chippewas with eight different Broncos earning a hit and three extra-base hits.
The junior duo of Connor Charping and Sean O'Keefe each recorded multi-hit games with Charping and O'Keefe along with senior Ethan Hajdukovic having multi-RBI games.
In the leadoff spot Charping was 2-for-5 at the plate with one double, one run scored and two RBIs. Charping is now hitting .390 on the season to lead the Brown & Gold.
In the clean-up spot Sean O'Keefe went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and one run scored. O'Keefe also drew a walk and upped his batting average to a stellar .312. Hajdukovic continued to swing a hot bat going 1-for-4 with one run scored, one double and two RBIs. Rounding out the scoring for the Broncos was seniors Drew Devine and Logan Hudson with an RBI each.
On the mound the Broncos got a stellar outing out of senior LHP Brandon Petersen who threw 4.2 innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits with four strikeouts. Notching his team-leading sixth victory of the season was fellow senior Will Mullen who went 4.1 innings allowing one earned run on four hits with four strikeouts.
Central Michigan's Jordan Patty was credited with the loss throwing 4.2 innings and allowing six earned runs on six hits. It was Patty's second loss of the season with the six earned runs the most he's given up since giving up six back on June 2, 2019 against Miami (FL) in the NCAA Tournament.
With the win the Broncos improve their overall record to 18-21 and 17-12 in Mid-American Conference play. WMU and CMU will return to the diamond for a doubleheader on Saturday, May 15 with first pitch set for 12:00 p.m.
After a scoreless first the Broncos got on the board in the bottom of the second with two runs on two hits. With two outs and runners on second and third junior Connor Charping delivered a two-RBI double down the left field line to give the Broncos an early 2-0 lead.
WMU held its lead until the top of the fifth when Central Michigan responded with two runs on one hit. A two out two-RBI single to left field tied the game at 2-2. It didn't take long for the Brown & Gold to respond scoring four runs on three hits in the bottom of the fifth.
Senior Drew Devine roped on RBI single to centerfield, scoring Justin McIntyre from second to push the Broncos back in front. Western Michigan extended its lead to 5-2 thanks to a bases clearing two-RBI double from Ethan Hajdukovic. In the next at-bat Logan Hudson connected on an RBI single to right field to score Hajdukovic and give WMU a 6-2 advantage.
The Western Michigan offense was back to work once again in the bottom of the sixth scoring two runs on three hits with two outs. With runners on second and third, junior Sean O'Keefe rocketed an RBI single to the CMU shortstop to score Charping. Dunn crossed home plate on the same play after a throwing error by the CMU shortstop to give the Broncos an 8-2 lead.
Central Michigan looked to get on the scoreboard in the top of the seventh, loading the bases with two outs. However senior RHP Will Mullen got out of the jam with a fly ball to right field to hold the Chippewas scoreless.
CMU added one run in the top of the ninth to cut into the Bronco lead as an RBI single to left field scored the Chippewa runner from second. That was all the Chippewas got in the bottom of the ninth as WMU executed the perfect 5-4-3 double play to secure the series opener.
Eastern Michigan 10, Northern Illinois 4
Boxscore
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team posted a 10-4, series-opening victory over Northern Illinois University, May 14, at Oestrike Stadium.
Leading the way for the Eagles at the plate were seniors Christian Bault (Maineville, Ohio-Archbishop Moeller (Lincoln Trail)) and Mike Monahan (Saline, Mich.-Saline), who each had three base knocks and one RBI in the series opener.
Senior Luke McGuire (Shelby Twp., Mich.-Stevenson) picked up his fifth win of the season, going 6.0 innings, including five scoreless with five strikeouts to earn the win. Davis Feldman (Warren, Mich.-Brother Rice) picked up his first save of the season, tossing three scoreless innings with four strikeouts.
It was senior captain Nick Jones (Battle Creek, Mich.-Lakeview) that started things off for the Eagles, drawing a walk his first time up to get on base. Classmate Bault came up next, lining a shot to the pitcher to put two on for the Green and White. Seizing the opportunity, Jones and Bault both moved in to scoring position on a wild pitch. Just two pitches later, another Husky wild pitch allowed Jones to score for the first run of the game, 1-0.
Though two wild pitches were thrown to him in his at-bat, junior Gabe Denton (Clare, Mich.-Clare (North Iowa)) got every piece of a strike thrown to him, launching his 10th home run of the season to the scoreboard of Oestrike Stadium for the 3-0 Eastern lead.
With the bases cleared, seniors Eli Gora (Cincinnati, Ohio-Anderson) and Monahan knocked back-to-back singles to left field, putting runners on the corners for Eastern with one out. Newcomer Will Oberg (Wayzata, Minn.-Wayzata (Heartland)) stepped up next, sending a ground ball to the shortstop that plated Gora for the final run of the inning, as the Eagles closed out the inning with a 4-0 lead.
In the second, Eastern added a run to its lead without recording a hit. With two outs, Jones was hit by the pitch, and moved to second after Bault drew a walk. Following the same sequence, Denton was hit by pitch in his at-bat, and was followed up with a walk to Gora to plate Jones and give the Eagles the 5-0 lead.
McGuire and the Eagles defense continued to hold strong, shutting out the Huskies for five-straight innings to start the game.
Upperclassmen Drake Peggs (Knightstown, Ind.-Knightstown Community) and Jeff Timko (Rochester Hills, Mich.-Brother Rice) combined to extend Eastern's lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. Peggs drilled a single up the middle to get himself aboard, and stole second to get himself in scoring position for Timko. Timko followed through, grounding a base hit to the back of the infield behind second base to give Eastern Michigan the 6-0 lead after five full innings.
Eastern would see its lead be cut in half in the following inning, as Northern Illinois hit a three-run home run to pull within three, 6-3. The Huskies would add one more in the top of the frame to pull within two, 6-4.
Getting one back right from the start, Bault drilled the first pitch he saw over the left field fence, putting the Eagles back up by three, 7-4. Continuing to earn its lead back, Denton came away from his at-bat with a single to left field, and shortly after moved to second on a wild pitch. In scoring position for Monahan, the Saline, Mich. native notched his first RBI of the day to send the Eagles to the seventh with the 8-4 lead.
Coming out of the bullpen in the seventh was Feldman, and despite issuing a four-pitch walk to the first Husky batter he faced, the Warren, Mich. native got the following hitter to ground into a double play for two quick outs. The Eagle defense managed to get the third out two batters later, holding the Huskies scoreless for the sixth time on the day.
In the seventh, Timko walked to leadoff the inning, and was followed with junior Taylor Hopkins' (Mason, Ohio-Archbishop Moeller) first hit of the evening, a two-run home run to right center field, putting the Eagles back up by six after seven innings, 10-4.
Feldman returned to mound for the final two innings of the game, holding the Huskies scoreless and securing the 10-4 Eastern Michigan victory.
The Eagles and Huskies will continue its series with a doubleheader tomorrow, May 15, beginning at 4 p.m. Prior to first pitch, EMU baseball will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its 1970 NAIA National Championship with a pregame ceremony.
To stay up to date with all things EMU baseball, continue to check EMUEagles.com, or follow the team on Twitter, @EMU_Baseball.
Toledo 5, Bowling Green 2
Boxscore
TOLEDO, Ohio – The University of Toledo baseball team defeated Bowling Green on Friday night at Fifth Third Field, 5-2, in front of a crowd of more than 2,500 fans.
The Falcons scored the first run of the game, but the Rockets answered with two in the bottom of the second and would not trail for the rest of the night. Bowling Green was not without scoring opportunities, leaving seven runners on base in the final three innings, failing to score in the ninth inning with the bases loaded and nobody out.
"What an amazing event for Toledo, Bowling Green, and the City of Toledo," head coach Rob Reinstetle said. "We were blown away by the support for this game and hope to grow it every year. On the field, we did what we had to in order to win. We got some timely hitting, pitched well in spots, and turned a great, yet much needed triple play. We need to build off this and finish the weekend strong."
Toledo received gutsy pitching performances from Layne Schnitz-Paxton and Jordan Power. Schnitz-Paxton started the game and pitched six innings, striking out two while allowing two runs. Power came in with the bases loaded and no outs in the top of the seventh and allowed just one inherited runner to score, and stranded two runners in the eighth and three in the ninth to earn his second save of the year.
At the plate John Servello, Chris Meyers, and Zach Schwartzenberger all had two hits apiece. Both of Servello's hits went for extra bases, including a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth, his sixth of the year. Schwartzenberger drove in two runs, while Meyers and Marcus Strother both tallied an RBI to help the cause.
Toledo and Bowling Green will continue their weekend series at Scott Park with a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at noon. Both games will be available on ESPN3 and will be televised locally on BCSN.
Akron 4, Ohio 2
Boxscore
Akron, Ohio – The Akron Zips scored four runs in the sixth inning en route to a 4-2 series opening win over the Ohio Bobcats on Friday night at Skeeles Field.
The Zips received a complete game winning performance from freshman starting pitcher Anthony Fett (Orchard Lake, Mich.). Fett faced 34 batters and allowed six hits and two runs with two strikeouts and one walk – both Ohio runs were solo homeruns.
Akron scattered seven hits for four runs led by juniors Bradley Goulet (Cottage Grove, Minn.) and Cameron Tilly (Canberra, Australia) with a pair of 2-for-4 performances. Goulet added a run scored, an RBI and an extra-base hit with doubled down the right field line in the first inning. Senior Connor Regan (Sagamore Hills, Ohio) and junior Zac Granger (Elmira, N.Y.) each recorded a double.
Ohio started the scoring in the third inning as Joe Weisenseel hit a solo shot to left field, his first homerun of the season. The game remained 1-0 until the sixth inning when Akron exploded for four runs off Ohio's starting pitcher, Joe Rock.
Granger opened the sixth inning with a double to right center field, and junior Jerry Reinhart (Batavia, N.Y.) moved him to third base on a bunt for a base hit. With runners on the corners, Goulet singled to the left side, scoring Granger and moving Reinhart to third. Regan followed with a double to right field for two RBI and a 3-1 Zips advantage. Tilly added a bunt single and junior Justin Barr (Pensacola, Fla.) delivered the fourth RBI of the inning, plating Regan on a groundout to the shortstop.
The Zips handed Rock his first loss of the season as the left handed hurler faced 33 batters, allowing seven hits and four runs with six strikeouts and no walks. Sebastian Fabik plated the Bobcats second run in the ninth inning with a solo homerun to left center field.
The Zips and the Bobcats will be back in action on Saturday, May 15 for a #MACtion doubleheader at Skeeles Filed. First pitch is slated for Noon and game two will follow approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one. Fans can follow the action live on Zips Digital Network or via live stats on GoZips.com.
West Virginia 7, Miami 6
Boxscore
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. -- Despite a late rally, the Miami University baseball team fell against the West Virginia Mountaineers by a score of 7-6.
The eighth inning was the difference-maker in the contest, as the Mountaineers scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth to take the win. Miami got on the board in the ninth inning to respond with a scoring play from Benji Brokemond. However, WVU escaped the final inning to hand the RedHawks the loss. After the non-conference loss, The RedHawks improve to 21-23 on the season, while the Mountaineers improve to 19-23.
In the top of the third inning, Brokemond tripled down the right-field line. One at-bat later, freshman Jacob Hensor drove in Brokemond with a sac fly, cutting the Mountaineer lead in half.
While trailing 4-1, redshirt freshman JJ Woolwine led off with a double down the left-field line in the top of the fifth. On the next play, Woolwine pulled off some Houdini-like base running, diving under a tag, then scampering to first. Graduate student Will Vogelgesang then drove in Woolwine on a sac fly, pulling the RedHawks to within two of the Mountaineers.
In the top of the eighth, Hensor led off with a single. Redshirt freshman Nate Stone then reached on a hit by pitch, followed by a walk earned by sophomore Brian Zapp, loading the bases. Senior Tyler Wardwell then hit a bloop single to center, scoring two runners. Zapp then made his way home on a throwing error, giving the RedHawks their first lead of the game.
In the top of the ninth, while trailing by two, Brokemond led off with a walk. Vogelgesang then doubled, driving in Brokemond.
