Saturday’s MAC Baseball Results
Eastern Michigan 6, Bowling Green 5
Eastern Michigan 3, Bowling Green 0
Akron 2, Kent State 1
Kent State 10, Akron 2
Northern Illinois 5, Western Michigan 2
Western Michigan 5, Northern Illinois 2
Miami 11, Ohio 5
Miami 6, Ohio 1
Central Michigan 3, Ball State 2
Ball State 13, Central Michigan 3
Virginia Tech 7, Toledo 1
Stories courtesy of MAC Sports Information Departments
Eastern Michigan 6, Bowling Green 5 -- Boxscore
Eastern Michigan 3, Bowling Green 0 – Boxscore
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – Get out your brooms and put "Back to Ypsilanti" on volume 10, because the Eastern Michigan University baseball team closed out a dominant four-game, Mid-American Conference sweep over Bowling Green State University today, May 8, inside Gary Haas Stadium.
A doubleheader of games at Steller Field saw Eastern (17-19, 10-11 MAC) win a tight, 6-5, game over the Falcons in the seven-inning third game of the series, before finishing off the home team, 3-0, in the fourth and final game of the weekend set. Eastern's win in game two was its second shutout victory of the weekend and of the season. Additionally, it secured EMU's first series sweep since it took three straight over Toledo April 26-28, 2019, at Oestrike Stadium.
EMU has now won seven straight contests, its best streak since the 2011 season when the team won the same number between April 24-May 1, 2011. Additionally, EMU is on a five-game MAC win streak, its best conference mark since April 17-May 1 of the same year.
With its series win over the Falcons, Eastern Michigan claimed its 10th consecutive series win over Bowling Green State University, a streak that dates back to 2005. Eastern has dominated BGSU in their 181 all-time meetings, as the Eagles now hold a 107-74 edge over their league rival.
Offensively, Eastern got another day of great production throughout its lineup. The team combined to notch 18 hits en route to nine runs during the two games. A handful of Eagles turned in multiple hit performances with senior Mike Monahan (Saline, Mich.-Saline) tying for the team lead in hits (3), and pacing the team in RBIs (4).
Defensively, the entire unit was stout. In fact, EMU did not commit its first error until the eighth inning of game two. The Eagles again got solid starting pitching, highlighted by an incredible 7.0-inning, three-hit, scoreless effort from senior Scott Granzotto (Northville, Mich.-Gabriel Richard), who moved to 3-0 on the season with the win.
Game One: Eastern Michigan 6, Bowling Green 5
Saturday's first game provided the Eagles with a challenge they had not faced in better than five games, a deficit. After failing to score it its first trip to the plate, Eastern's defense surrendered three early runs to the Falcons. When the first inning was complete, EMU was down, 3-0.
Ready for the adversity, Eastern responded in the second. With one on and one out, senior Daniel Warkentin (Leamington, Ontario-Leamington District (Parkland)) was able to complete a series cycle, his first of the year, via a double down the right field line. That effort was enough to push one across the plate and bring the deficit within a pair, 3-1. Moments later, it was none other than Monahan who came through yet again for EMU, this time delivering an RBI-single, his fourth hit of the weekend, to bring Warkentin home.
On the hill for Eastern, the hard-throwing sophomore, Cameron Wagoner (Tecumseh, Mich.-Tecumseh) settled in nicely after a tough first inning. He bounced back to blank the Falcons in the bottom of the second, needing just four batters to do so. Although he surrendered one more run in the third, he again came back to hold BGSU without a run in the fourth.
Down 4-2 after four, Eastern again rallied in the top portion of the fifth inning. A one-out walk put junior shortstop Taylor Hopkins (Mason, Ohio-Archbishop Moeller) aboard before senior Nick Jones (Battle Creek, Mich.-Lakeview) slapped a single into center field. Senior Christian Bault (Maineville, Ohio-Archbishop Moeller (Lincoln Trail) took care of business from there, as he barreled an RBI-single to score Hopkins and pull EMU back within one, 4-3. Unfortunately, the rally ended there. Still, it put Eastern right back in the baseball game.
Back on the bump for the fifth, Wagoner produced one quick out before handing the ball to teammate Trevor House (Okeana, Ohio-Ross), who went to work on the next two Falcon hitters. The scrappy lefty had no problems finishing off the home team in the respective inning, and helped Eastern get back to the plate.
Still down a run, 4-3, EMU strung together its best hitting streak of the day in the top of the sixth. Senior Eli Gora (Cincinnati, Ohio-Anderson) got the hit parade going with a double off the wall, and scored two batters later when Monahan did the same. Tied at four, BGSU elected to intentionally walk the dangerous Hopkins, a decision that Jones made the Falcons regret when he smashed a two-RBI, bases-clearing double, the team's third of the frame, to give EMU its first lead, 6-4.
That run support proved to be enough for House, who returned to the hill for the sixth and seventh innings, respectively. After starting the sixth with a strikeout, House surrendered a one-out walk. Unfazed by the baserunner, he quickly produced to fly balls that were secured by the defense.
In the seventh and final frame, House was tasked with battling the top of Bowling Green's order. A soft-hit, bloop single was followed by a grounder that got through the left side of the infield. With two on and no outs, House persevered. A fly out and line out got House to two outs, but allowed BGSU to score a run. Up, 6-5, House took the final batter to a 3-2 count, where he delivered a perfect fastball at the knees to ring up the Falcons and give Eastern its sixth-consecutive win.
With the victory, EMU successfully erased its largest deficit of the season for a win, three runs. For his effort on the bump, House earned the win and moved to 2-0 on the season.
Game Two: Eastern Michigan 3, Bowling Green 0
After an offensive outpouring in the first three games of the series, game four, the series finale, was anything but. A pure pitcher's duel in every sense of the term, both starting hurlers offered incredible performances on the bump.
For Eastern, it was Granzotto that took the hill for his eighth start of the season and his second this week after previously starting and beating Toledo Tuesday, May 4. Quite simply, Granzotto put together one of the most stellar outings of his already impressive career.
Perfect through the first 11 batters he saw, Granzotto allowed just two hits through his first six innings of work. No baserunner moved past first base in that span, as Granzotto needed just 64 pitches to get through the game's first six frames.
Offensively, Eastern was challenged just as strongly by BGSU's Peyton Wilson. Eastern did find limited success against the right-handed Wilson, but was ultimately held off the scoreboard in each of its first four trips to the plate.
The Eagles found rhythm with two outs in the top of the fifth. After junior transfer Will Oberg (Wayzata, Minn.-Wayzata (Heartland)) singled, Hopkins stepped to the plate and delivered. The junior shortstop pushed a single into center field. After a bobble by the center fielder opened a small gap, Oberg burst home where, to the excitement of the Eastern fans in attendance and the dismay of many angry Falcons' faithful, he slide underneath of the attempted tag and put Eastern ahead, 1-0.
After a quick-and-easy set of innings in the bottom of the fifth and sixth, respectively, Granzotto faced his toughest challenge of the day in the seventh. After an incredibly close payoff pitch missed inside, the southpaw found himself with Bowling Green runners on first and second base and two outs gone. After collecting his breath, Granzotto delivered perhaps his most important pitch of the afternoon, a strike that was lifted into center for an easy fly out. That put an end to the respective Falcon threat and preserved EMU's tight, 1-0 lead. The out was also the last pitch of the day for Granzotto, who exited following his stellar seven innings.
Although the EMU bats threatened in the eighth, the Green and White could not score. Heading to the bottom of the frame, it was junior Justin Reinkall (Superior, Wis.-Superior (Southeast)) that took over for Granzotto. He quickly took care of the Falcons. In fact, an error in the infield was the only blip in the otherwise clean inning.
Looking to add insurance in the top of the ninth, the Eagles battled effectively once again. With Gora on first following a hit-by-pitch, he and Warkentin executed a perfect hit-and-run to put runners at the corner with just one out. In the box, Monahan, recently nicknamed "The Shop Vac," by teammates and coaches, laid down a perfect bunt, one that forced the BGSU pitcher to take the out at first, thus allowing Gora to score a much needed run and put the Eagles up, 2-0. Moments later, Hopkins came through with an RBI-single up the middle to extend EMU's lead to 3-0.
On to close it out in the ninth, junior hurler Zach Fruit (Dundee, Mich.-Dundee (Lansing)) carved through the Bowling Green lineup. Although two runners reached, the first-year Eagle kept the home team off the board and secured the win for EMU, 3-0.
EMU will be quickly back in action with a pair of seven inning games against Toledo, May 11, inside Oestrike Stadium. The games will begin at 3 p.m and 6 p.m., respectively.
For the most up-to-date news on all things EMU baseball, continue to visit EMUEagles.com and follow the team on social media at @EMU_Baseball.
Akron 2, Kent State 1 -- Boxscore
Kent State 10, Akron 2 – Boxscore
KENT, OHIO- The Golden Flashes starting pitching stole the show on Saturday, allowing just three earned runs over 13 innings as Kent State split with the Akron Zips on Saturday at Schoonover Stadium.
Both Luke Albright and Richie Dell were phenomenal on Saturday but Akron took game one 2-1 before the Flashes bounced back with a 10-2 win in the nightcap.
GAME ONE: AKRON 2 KENT STATE 1
The Flashes dropped game one and spoiled a terrific outing by Luke Albright.Game one started great for the Golden Flashes, Kyle Jackson singled on the first pitch of the inning and went to second on a Eric Wentz sacrifice bunt. Ben Carew wasted little time and rapped a grounder into left for a run-scoring single and Kent State was quickly up 1-0. It stayed that way until the fourth until Akron mimicked the Kent State first inning. Kaito Hara singled, was sacrificed over to second and scored on a single, tying the game at one.
Neither team sniffed a run until the sixth when Akron catcher Connor Regan hit a liner over the left field wall for a two-out, solo home run. The bottom of the sixth inning looked promising for Kent State as Wentz and Carew both reached to start the inning. Collin Mathews' attempted sacrifice led to a force at third on a great play by Akron's pitcher Conor Steinbaugh. Cam Touchettewas then robbed of extra bases on a diving play in the outfield and Michael McNamara struck out to end the threat. The Flashes would get a runner on in the seventh, but nothing more as the Zips took game one.
The loss spoiled Albright's complete game, he allowed just four hits and the two runs while striking out seven. Steinbaugh got the win, allowing five hits and the one run, walking one and striking out five.
GAME TWO: KENT STATE 10 AKRON 2
The nightcap on Saturday got off to an ominous start. Akron strung together three hits and took advantage of an error to plate two runs and take an early lead on Richie Dell and the Golden Flashes. But the right hander settled in and allowed just two more hits over his next five innings and the Kent State offense went to work.
Kent State matched Akron's two in the first with two of their own. Eric Wentz worked a one-out walk and was pushed to third on a Carew double. Mathews followed with a single to score Wentz and Carew scored on a fielding error by Hara off the bat of Touchette. The Flashes broke it open with a four-run third. Carew, Mathews and Miknis all doubled in to the left field corner and McNamara added a single to left of his own. Kent State tallied five hits in the inning to make it 6-2. Two more scored in the fourth as Mathews and Touchette both doubled home runs to make it 8-2. Kent State slugged six doubles in game two as part of a twelve-hit attack. Miknis added some insurance in the fifth with a two-run single, which was more than enough for Richie Dell.
Dell settled in beautifully after the first inning, allowing just two Zips to reach second base after the first inning. The righty earned his second win of the year allowing the five hits, one earned run and striking out five against two walks. Ryan Kircher made his 2021 debut in the seventh and worked a clean seventh and recording a strikeout.
The split keeps the Golden Flashes' record at .500 as they are now 21-21 and 14-13 in the MAC. Akron is now 11-30 and 5-26 in conference play. The teams will get tomorrow off on account of impending rain. The teams will wrap up the four-game set on Monday, first pitch is set for 1 p.m.
Northern Illinois 5, Western Michigan 2 -- Boxscore
Western Michigan 5, Northern Illinois 2 – Boxscore
DeKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University baseball team split its doubleheader with the Western Michigan Broncos Saturday afternoon at Ralph McKinzie Field, winning the nightcap 5-2 after the Broncos won game one 5-2.
NIU (11-30, 10-17 MAC) took a 1-0 lead in the second inning of game two on a Dylan Lonteen(Peoria, Ill./Illinois Central College) leadoff home run over the right field fence. Lonteen struck again in the bottom of the third. With runners at second and third and two out, the senior shortstop laced a single to right field to drive in two runs and put the Huskies up 3-0. After a Jordan Larson (Dodgeville, Wis./College of DuPage) single put runners at the corners, NIU successfully executed a double steal with Lonteen taking home plate to make the score 4-0.
"When you get second and third with no outs and your 4-5-6 hitters coming up, you expect to score runs," said head coach Mike Kunigonis. "It wasn't quite how we wanted to do it, but Dylan stepped up and drove in those two runs with two outs."
That was all the run support starting pitcher Ryan Anderson (Palatine, Ill./McHenry C.C.) would need. The right-hander retired the first 13 batters he faced before Justin McIntyre hit a single to left field with one out in the top of the fourth. McIntyre was eventually left at third base as Anderson got a groundout and a strikeout to end the inning.
The Huskies put another run on the board in the bottom of the fifth. Brendan Joyce (South Elgin, Ill./Parkland College) drew a walk with the bases loaded and two outs to make the score 5-0. Western Michigan got on the board in the top of the sixth as a Connor Charping RBI single and a McIntyre sacrifice fly made the score 5-2. Anderson bounced back in the seventh to earn his first complete game win as a Huskie.
"Today was probably the best I've thrown in my time here," said Anderson following his complete game victory. "My changeup felt amazing all day. Being able to locate that and work off my fastball had them off balance. It makes it a lot easier when the offense goes out and scores runs like they did."
"It was a great job by Ryan," Kunigonis added. "We needed a good start out of him and he gave us a chance to go win tomorrow with a loaded bullpen."
Lonteen was 2-for-2 with three RBI in the nightcap. Matt Barnes (Bloomington, Ill./Heartland C.C.) also had two hits in the game. Jake Dunham (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) was 1-for-3 in the game to extend his current hitting streak to 10 games. Anderson allowed two runs on three hits over the seven innings, striking out four Broncos with one walk.
Western Michigan (17-20, 16-11 MAC) got out to a 2-0 lead in game one on a Sean O'Keefe solo home run in the first inning and a Will Morrison squeeze bunt in the second. The Huskies tied the game in the fourth when back-to-back RBI singles from Lonteen and Larson made the score 2-2. The Broncos took the lead right back in the top of the fifth. After a single and a walk, O'Keefe cleared the bases with a two-run double to put Western Michigan ahead 4-2. Ethan Hajdukovic made the score 5-2 with a single to centerfield, scoring O'Keefe.
The Huskies threated to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth. Dunham and Kam Smith (Colonial Beach, Va./The Steward School) led off with back-to-back singles. Western Michigan starting pitcher Easton Sikorski held NIU scoreless in the inning with a strikeout and a double play to get out of the inning, then worked around a two-out walk in the seventh to earn the complete game victory with a 5-2 win.
First pitch of Sunday's series finale is now at 2 p.m. central after being originally scheduled for 12 p.m.
Miami 11, Ohio 5 -- Boxscore
Miami 6, Ohio 1 – Boxscore
ATHENS, Ohio — The Miami University baseball team took both games of a doubleheader on the road, splitting their series with the Ohio University Bobcats. In game one, the RedHawks won behind yet another dominant start by Sam Bachman, while strong hitting throughout the lineup contributed to an 11-5 win. In game two, pitching reigned supreme again, while a pair of timely home runs led to a 6-1 victory in the RedHawks' favor.
With the two conference victories, The RedHawks improve to 21-22 (14-15 Mid-American Conference), while the Bobcats drop to 24-17 (15-13 MAC).
HOW IT HAPPENED: Game One
In game one, senior Tyler Wardwell singled to the right, then advanced to second on a walk by fellow senior Nate Stolze. Redshirt freshman Benji Brokemond drove in both runners with a two-RBI double, later moving to third on a throw. In the following at-bat, Will Vogelgesang drove in Brokemond, giving the RedHawks a 3-0 lead.
In the top of the third, freshman Jacob Hensor led off with a single. Junior Cole Andrews then reached on a hit by pitch, putting two runners on base. After both runners advanced a base on a sac-bunt, senior Tyler Wardwell drove in both giving the 'Hawks a 5-0 lead.
Brokemond singled to lead things off at the top of the fourth before Vogelgesang drove him in with a triple to right-center. With the following at-bat, Hensor dropped down a bunt single to drive in Vogelgesang. Andrews then followed with a single driving in Hensor. Freshman Dalton Backdoubled driving in Andrews, giving the RedHawks a 9-0 lead.
Vogelgesang doubled, driving in Brokemond again, extending the lead to 10 in the top of the fifth. In the bottom of the sixth, the Bobcats scored five, cutting the Miami lead in half. In the top of the seventh, the RedHawks added another run to their total, giving them the victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED: Game Two
In the top of the fourth, redshirt freshman Nate Stone led off with a single. In the following at-bat, sophomore Brian Zapp hit his team-leading fifth home run, giving the RedHawks a 2-1 lead.
In the top of the sixth inning, JJ Woolwine scored on a dropped third strike, giving the RedHawks a 3-1 lead.
In the top of the ninth, senior Parker Massman led off with a single, then made his way to third on a pair of Bobcat miscues. Vogelgesang then walked, putting runners on the corners. Andrews hit a three-run shot, extending the lead to 6-1 and giving the RedHawks another win.
Central Michigan 3, Ball State 2 -- Boxscore
Ball State 13, Central Michigan 3 – Boxscore
MT. PLEASANT, Michigan - After league-leading Central Michigan took the first two games of the biggest series of the season, the Ball State baseball team had a must-win scenario Saturday afternoon. Rallying behind Lukas Jaksich, the Cards put up five runs in the 1st inning and set the tone for a 13-3 win over Central. CMU won Saturday's first game 3-2.
PHOTO GALLERY (courtesy of Central Michigan Athletics)
"Our boys showed a lot of character in game two of our doubleheader today by persevering after a difficult loss in game one," head coach Rich Maloney said. "Good teams stay the course and that is what our boys did today."
On the day, Nick Powell went 5-for-8 to up his team-leading season batting average to .336. Trenton Quartermaine had four hits and Justin Conant drove in four runs. The Cardinals (29-14, 20-7 MAC) out-hit the home team 23-6 with all 20 singles and three doubles. Ball State pitching held Central (30-12, 22-5) to five RBIs and a .150 average over the 14 innings.
GAME 1: Central Michigan 3, Ball State 2 (BOX SCORE (PDF))
Saturday's early game was tight throughout, with the two teams managing just six hits in a 3-2 Central Michigan win. Noah Navarro drove in both of Ball State's runs with a 2-run single in the top of the 5th. Powell had two hits but the Cards couldn't quite rally from a 3-0 deficit.
Central took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the 3rd, scoring two runs without getting a hit. CMU scored on two sac flies in the inning and starting pitcher Andrew Brown did the rest. He went 6.1 innings to improve to 8-3 and held the Cardinals at bay. Ball State had the tying run on 2nd base with no outs in the 6th but Brown got the next three outs. BSU put the leadoff man on again in the 7th but couldn't find the tying run.
GAME 2: Ball State 13, Central Michigan 3 (BOX SCORE (PDF))
After the tight loss, BSU would let fans rest easy in the second game. Ball State got five runs on six hits in the top of the 1st off of veteran starter Cameron Brown, and would ends up with nine runs over the first four innings. The Cards pounded out 19 hits, a season high. Powell and Ross Messina each had three hits and combined to score five runs. Conant had two hits, both of them driving in two runs each.
That was more than enough for Jaksich, now 7-1 on the year. He pitched 4.0 innings and allowed three runs, having a huge lead before he even entered the game. Ty Johnson got the final nine outs and struck out six. The loss was Brown's first of the year.
Central Michigan is two games up on BSU in the standings with 13 games left to play. Western Michigan is a distant 3rd place, six games out.
The series finale is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. ?
Virginia Tech 7, Toledo 1 - Boxscore
Virginia Tech 3, Toeldo 2 - Boxscore
BLACKSBURG, Va. – The University of Toledo baseball team faced Virginia Tech twice on Saturday, dropping both games of a doubleheader. The Rockets lost game one, 7-1, and fell in a close 3-2 contest in game two.
"I have to give credit to Virginia Tech's pitchers, they did a good job of silencing our bats," head coach Rob Reinstetle said. "We had some opportunities in game one but couldn't get that big hit. Their hitters took advantage of every little mistake we made. Kyle Jones was masterful in game two and deserved a better outcome. Their starter was equally as good. Neither offense could get anything going, but in the end, Virginia Tech squeaked out the win. We have to come back tomorrow, battle, and find a way to win a ball game."
After the six-run setback in game one, Toledo carried a lead into the eighth inning of game two. Kyle Jones was outstanding in the nightcap, tossing a career-best eight innings and tying a career high with 10 strikeouts, holding Virginia Tech scoreless through the first six frames while allowing just three hits. The Rockets led 2-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh, but the Hokies scored a run in each of the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings to walk away with a pair of wins.
Trace Hatfield had a pair of hits in the first game and Mason Sykes was credited with the lone UT RBI. Layne Schnitz-Paxton started the game and threw four innings while striking out five, and Brendan Collins, Cal McAninch, and Jason Young all saw time out of the bullpen.
Darryn Davis was 2-for-4 with a solo home run in the second game, and Chris Meyers drove in the other Toledo run. John Servello was 2-for-4 to account for the other UT hits.
Toledo and Virginia Tech will conclude their weekend series on Sunday with a 2:00 p.m. contest on the ACC Network.
