Saturday’s MAC Baseball Results
Central Michigan 1, Eastern Michigan 0
Central Michigan 4, Eastern Michigan 2
Miami 6, Akron 2
Miami 9, Akron 2
Ball State 9, Ohio 2
Ohio 5, Ball State 1
Northern Illinois 8, Toledo 5
Toledo 9, Northern Illinois 1
Kent State 9, Western Michigan 2
Western Michigan 6, Kent State 5
Stories courtesy of MAC Sports Information Departments
Central Michigan 1, Eastern Michigan 0 -- Boxscore
Central Michigan 4, Eastern Michigan 2 – Boxscore
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – A sweep, and the Chippewas are alone in first place.
The Central Michigan baseball team got a pair of outstanding pitching performances on Saturday and produced enough at the plate in sweeping Eastern Michigan, 1-0 and 4-2, in a Mid-American Conference doubleheader at Keilitz Field at Theunissen Stadium.
The wins lifted CMU to 26-9 in league play. The Chippewas hold a one-game lead over Ball State (25-10), which split a twin bill at Ohio on Saturday.
CMU and Eastern close their four-game series on Sunday (10 a.m.) and the regular season ends next weekend with the Chippewas going to Toledo for a four-game set. With no league tournament in 2021, the regular-season champion receives the MAC's bid to the NCAA Tournament.
"As a team we don't really pay that much attention to it," CMU senior catcher Griffin Lockwood-Powell said of the standings. "We notice it and we know what's happening, but we don't carry that on to the field and bring that with us."
Andrew Taylor (10-3) threw a complete-game three-hitter in Saturday's opener and Garrett Navarra (4-0) went five strong innings in the nightcap. Coupled with a 14-0 win in Friday's series opener, the Chippewas held Eastern Michigan scoreless for 17 consecutive innings until the Eagles scored twice in the fourth inning of game two on Saturday.
"Our pitching's been picking us up the entire year, especially the past couple of weeks," Lockwood-Powell said. "The pitching has done an unreal job."
Game 1
Taylor, a redshirt freshman, pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning and then was dominant the rest of the way, striking out nine and walking three.
The Eagles' only threat after the first inning came in the fifth when they put runners at first and third with one out. CMU third baseman Aidan Shepardson made the play of the day when he snagged a liner and then tagged third base to complete an unassisted double play and end the threat.
Taylor retired the final six Eagles in order and he struck out nine, bringing his season total to 110, the third-highest total for a single season in Chippewa baseball history.
"When (Taylor) struggles, he just finds a way to make a pitch," CMU coach Jordan Bischel said. "It's pretty incredible for a 19-year-old to compete the way that he does. When he's in a tough spot you just feel like he's the one that needs to have the ball in his hands."
The Chippewas scored the game's only run when Mario Camilletti led off the third inning with a double, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a Navarra grounder to second.
Game 2
Navarra, a junior left-hander, allowed five hits, struck out five, and walked one over five innings. He surrendered two solo homers in the fourth inning, but then set down the Eagles in order in the fifth.
Ian Leatherman allowed just an infield single in two innings of relief for his fifth save.
"Two runs in three games, we'll take it," Bischel said, "and Garrett, two runs in five innings, that's a good outing. Tough act to follow sometimes when you're going after Andrew Taylor, but (Navarra) did a great job competing. He probably could have stayed in there, but we've got a lot of confidence in our bullpen too and (Leatherman) obviously did a tremendous job behind him."
Navarra is normally CMU's Sunday starter and generally pitches three-five innings per start. Bischel elected to start him on Saturday and save Cameron Brown, the usual No. 3 starter, for Sunday's series finale.
"Just kind of a gut feeling, a hunch, whatever you want to call it," he said. "All four (starting pitchers) have been pitching well and we just had a feeling that it was a little better order for us. No real big reason for it."
The Chippewas staked Navarra to a 3-0 lead in the first inning when Zach Heeke was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to drive in the first run, and then Lockwood-Powell chopped a two-out, two-run single through the hole between third and short.
CMU added an insurance run in the fifth on a Justin Simpson RBI single.
Hitting Star
Camilletti, CMU's junior second baseman and leadoff hitter, finished with four hits, including two doubles, on the day. He also drew a walk, bringing his season total to a best-in-the-nation 57 and his on-base percentage to .506, which ranks among the top 25 in the country.
His 57 walks are two shy of Zavier Warren's program record of 59 set in 2019.
Looking Ahead
Bischel, in a familiar refrain, said the Chippewas are not scoreboard watching. That may be the case, but fans are, and with five games remaining and a one-game lead, CMU is in good position to repeat as the MAC champion.
Still, it's a slim lead that leaves little room for error, and the Chippewas are concerning themselves only with what transpires on Sunday at Theunissen Stadium and next weekend at Toledo.
"You've got 11 teams in the league, and 40 league games (each)," he said. "The percentages say the vast majority (of those teams) are playing for something other than first place down the stretch. It's hard to stay in the race for 35 games. I'm proud of the guys. There's ups and downs and you're not going to have a perfect weekend every weekend, but on the whole these guys have really stuck together and I thought we played really good baseball today.
"Tremendous pitching, tremendous defense, and I thought we swung the bats pretty well and we had a lot of guys on base, which usually means you're going to score eventually. I thought we came out ready to go. I'm excited for us to go again tomorrow."
Miami 6, Akron 2 -- Boxscore
Miami 9, Akron 2 -- Boxscore
OXFORD, Ohio — Behind a solid offensive effort and a pair of good starts by Sam Bachman and Jonathan Brand, the Miami University baseball team (24-26; 17-17 Mid-American Conference) took both games of a Saturday doubleheader against the Akron Zips (14-35; 8-31 MAC) at home. The RedHawks took a first-inning lead in both games and never relinquished it to secure the doubleheader sweep.
In game one, the RedHawks won behind another dominant start from Bachman on the mound, while a potent bat from Nate Stone helped bring Miami ahead, 6-2. In game two, strong offense in the early innings was the key, which included three runs from Mac Hippenhammer that lifted Miami to a 9-2 victory.
Ball State 9, Ohio 2 -- Boxscore
Ohio 5, Ball State 1 – Boxscore
ATHENS, Ohio - The Ball State baseball team routed Ohio 9-2 early but lost late in a Saturday road split. The home team rallied for a 5-1 win against the Cardinals, who are now a game out of 1st place with five games to play.
For the day, Aaron Simpson and Decker Scheffler each went 4-for-7 with two runs and they combined for four RBIs. Nick Powell and Adam Tellier also scored two runs each and Chayce McDermott pitched a complete-game win with 13 strikeouts in the early game.
BALL STATE 9, OHIO 2
McDermott dominated and the Cardinals turned a close game into a rout in the late innings for a 9-2 early in the day.
Ohio managed just three hits off McDermott, who matched his career-high with 13 strikeouts. After allowing multiple baserunners in the 1st inning and a 2-run homer in the 2nd, McDermott was basically unhittable. He struck out six batters between innings 3-5 and faced two above the minimum the rest of the way. McDermott is now 8-2 with 114 strikeouts on the year.
Ball State never trailed and led 3-2 before breaking out for six runs in the final two innings. A 4-spot in the 6th featured a 2-run single from Ross Messina, an RBI double from Scheffler and an RBI single by Ryan Peltier. Powell also homered in the 5th. In the 7th, Ball State wasn't done. Trenton Quartermaine had a sac fly and Scheffler put the exclamation point on an impressive day with a homer.
Scheffler finished the game 4-for-4 with three doubles and a homer, three RBIs and two runs. Simpson went 3-for-4 and was a homer short of the cycle.
OHIO 5, BALL STATE 1
After losing the first two games of the series, Ohio rallied and got a great start from the venerable Edward Kutt IV to beat BSU 5-1. The 4G Kutt pitched a complete game allowing just three hits, an unearned run and he struck out six. He allowed five baserunners in the game as Ohio stayed alive for a weekend series split.
OU led 1-0 when it broke the game open with three runs in the bottom of the 4th. Ohio led 5-0 in the last inning when Simpson put the Cards on the boad with an RBI single.
The two teams will finish the series Sunday at 1 p.m. Central Michigan won its three games this weekend and now holds a one game lead in the standings with five games left to play.
Northern Illinois 8, Toledo 5 -- Boxscore
Toledo 9, Northern Illinois 1 – Boxscore
DeKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University baseball team split its doubleheader with the Toledo Rockets Saturday afternoon at Ralph McKinzie Field. The Huskies won the opener 8-5 with the Rockets taking the nightcap 9-1.
NIU (15-34, 14-25 MAC) bounced back from a 4-0 deficit after the top of the first inning of game one to tie it in the bottom of the third. Eric Erato (Sussex, Wis./Sussex Hamilton) started the rally with a one-out double to left center. Brendan Joyce (South Elgin, Ill./Parkland College) then drove in Erato for the Huskies' first run on a single to left field. After a Kam Smith (Colonial Beach, Va./The Steward School) double gave NIU runners at second and third, Jake Dunham (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) laced a single through the left side of the infield to bring home Joyce and make the score 4-2.
Brady Huebbe (Peru, Ill./Illinois Valley C.C.) drove in the third run by beating out a fielder's choice that scored Smith. Dylan Lonteen then hit a laser of a double off the left field fence to give the Huskies runners at second and third with two out. Jordan Larson (Dodgeville, Wis./College of DuPage) tied the game by reaching on an error by Toledo shortstop Trace Hatfield, which scored Huebbe to make the score 4-4. Lonteen also tried to score on the play but was thown out at home.
Toledo (22-29, 20-15 MAC) took back the lead in the top of the fifth when a Marcus Strother sacrifice fly scored Mason Sykes to give the Rockets a 5-4 advantage. NIU responded with two runs in the bottom half of the inning. Once again it was the top of the order starting the threat. Erato and Joyce hit back-to-back two-out singles to keep the inning alive to Smith. The Huskies' third baseman drove in Erato with a single to right field to tie the game at five. Dunham then reached on an error that allowed Joyce to score the go-ahead run, putting NIU on top 6-5.
After allowing those four runs in the top of the first, NIU starting pitcher Michael Lasiewicz (McHenry, Ill./McHenry) took control from the mound. He allowed just one hit and two walks over the final six innings, striking out five Rockets in the process. The Huskies tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth, with a Dunham RBI single and a run-scoring fielder's choice giving NIU an 8-5 lead. Lasiewicz retired the side in order in the top of the seventh with a pair of punchouts to lock up the complete game victory.
The Huskies pounded out 14 hits in the win, with eight of the nine batters in the order recording at least one hit. Smith was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Erato and Joyce were a combined 4-for-5 at the top of the order with three walks and four runs scored. Lasiewicz struck out eight Rockets on the day, allowing five runs on six hits and a pair of walks.
"Mike [Lasiewicz] really settled in after that first inning and controlled the game from there on out, which gave a chance to win game one," said head coach Mike Kunigonis. "We played really well from the third inning on. That's when we really stepped it up. Unfortunately, we couldn't keep that momentum up into game two, but we have an opportunity to split a series again and we'll be ready to go tomorrow."
NIU took an early 1-0 lead in game two on a Dunham RBI double. That would be the only run the Huskies scratched across against Toledo starting pitcher Nate Haugh. The right-hander held NIU to just four hits in the nightcap, striking out five Huskies. The Rockets tied the game in the top of the second, then scored three runs in both fourth and fifth innings to take a 7-1 lead on their way to a 9-1 win.
Sunday's series finale between the Huskies and Rockets has been moved up to an 11 a.m. first pitch due to a weather forecast of possible thunderstorms in the afternoon. Prior to the game, NIU will honor its 2020 and 2021 seniors with its Senior Day ceremony beginning at 10:40 a.m.
Kent State 9, Western Michigan 2 -- Boxscore
Western Michigan 6, Kent State 5 -- Boxscore
KENT OHIO- The Flashes earned a split of their double header on Saturday, falling 6-5 in extra innings in game one and rebounded behind Richie Dell to win 9-2 over Western Michigan in game two.
GAME ONE: Western Michigan 6 Kent State 5 (Nine Innings)
Saturday's opener saw bonus baseball thanks to Justin Kirby. The Kent State outfield sent a blast over the left field wall in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game at four.
It stayed that way until the ninth when Western Michigan got a two-run double from Jimmy Allen to re-take a two-run lead. The Flashes nearly completed a second comeback, getting a sacrifice fly from Kirby to make it 6-5 and had the tying run at third, but couldn't bring him home.
The Broncos got on the board again in the first off Luke Albright. First baseman Sean O'Keefe hit a line drive down the right field line and just inside the foul pole for a two-run shot. It would be the first of two homers Albright gave up on Saturday as the righty allowed four runs in four innings, his shortest home start of the season. Peyton Deats threw two and two thirds innings of shutout relief and enable the Kent State comeback.
Prior to the seventh, the Flashes lone run came on a Justin Kirby single, scoring Justin Miknis. In the seventh, Miknis brought home Cam Touchette with a single, setting up Kirby's blast.
GAME TWO: Kent State 9 Western Michigan 2
Kent State scored three runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth to pull away in the Saturday night cap. Richie Dell was the beneficiary of the run support and threw six strong innings for the Golden Flashes. The right hander allowed two runs on six hits and struck out four against two walks and evened his record at 3-3.
For the third-straight game, Western Michigan scored first, pushing across a run in the second on a groundout. It stayed that way until the fourth when Ben Carew led off the game with a triple. He scored on a Cam Touchette grounder that was thrown away by Western's starter Dane Armbrustmacher, Touchette ended up on third and scored the go-ahead run on a Collin Mathews' groundout. Michael McNamara closed the first three-run inning with a solo blast to center, his fourth of the year.
After Western Michigan made it a one-run game in the top of the fifth, Kent State responded with three runs on four hits to stretch the lead to 6-2. Kyle Jackson, Touchette and Mathews all brought home runs in the inning. The Golden Flashes put the game away with three more in the sixth. Kirby and Jackson again providing the spark and leaving little doubt as to the outcome of the game. Aidan Longwell put an exclamation point on the victory by striking out the side in the seventh to seal the win.
The split puts the Flashes at 26-24 on the season and 19-16 in conference. Western Michigan sits at 21-24 overall and 20-15 in MAC play. Senior day will wrap up the weekend series on Sunday with a pre-game ceremony prior to the 1 p.m. first pitch.
