Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Akron
Eagles Rally Late for 12-10 Win Over Zips
4/17/2010 5:22:33 PM | Baseball
EMU scores 10 runs in the eighth inning to overcome a six-run deficit and take game two at Akron
Box score
AKRON, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team used a 10-run eighth inning rally Saturday afternoon, April 17, to register a 12-10 victory over the University of Akron Zips at Lee Jackson Field.
Facing a 7-1 deficit in the top of the eighth, the Eagles tallied 10 runs on eight hits to take an 11-7 lead – their first lead of the game. Eastern Michigan received RBI singles from redshirt sophomore Ben Magsig (Okemos, Mich.-Okemos-Lansing C.C.) and junior Ken Battiston (West Milton, Ohio-Milton Union), as well as a sacrifice fly by senior Andrew Marshall (Mason, Mich.-Mason) to make it a 7-5 game and gain momentum.
After an Akron pitching change, junior Bo Kinder (Wapella, Ill.-Clinton Community-Kaskaskia C.C.) hit an RBI single to left field to plate senior Aaron Crooks (Toledo, Ohio-Ottawa Hills) to pull the Eagles within one, 7-6. After a walk to junior Zack Leonard (Canton, Ohio-McKinley) loaded the bases, junior Matt Skirving (Midland, Mich.-H.H. Dow) gave EMU its first lead of the game, as his bases-clearing double to center field put the Eagles ahead, 9-7. The Eagles tacked on two more runs in the inning to take an 11-7 advantage.
From there, senior right hander Steve Young (Port Huron, Mich.-Port Huron Northern-Jackson C.C.) and freshman right hander Joe Battistelli (Allen Park, Mich.-Allen Park) shut down the Zips in relief, going the final two innings of the contest to help the Eagles take game two of the series.
Winners of their last three games, the Eagles improve to 17-18 on the year and 7-4 in the Mid-American Conference. Akron falls to 15-18 (2-9 MAC) with the loss.
Skirving finished the game 3-for-5 at the plate with two runs scored and three RBI, while Marshall finished 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI. Senior Todd Graves (St. Marys, Ohio-St. Marys Memorial) finished 3-for-5 with one run scored and one RBI.
Sophomore Jordan Glover (Toronto, Ontario-Ontario Schools) pitched well in relief of starter Collin Taylor (Cincinnati, Ohio-Lakota West), going the five and one-third innings in relief and giving up two runs (one earned) on five hits and one walk to earn the victory.
The Eagles also overcame a season-high six errors in the field in the victory.
After scoring one in the bottom of the first, the Zips made it a five-run game an inning later, as RBI doubles by Haas and Plata and an RBI single by Watkins put the Eagles down, 5-0.
EMU limited the damage in the top of the third, as Kinder led off the inning with an infield single and would score later on a passed ball at home to pull the Eagles within four and it make it a 5-1 game.
But the Zips came back to again make it a five-run game after capitalizing on another Eastern Michigan fielding miscue to put the Eagles down, 6-1, in the bottom of the sixth. Akron tacked on one more in the seventh to make it a 7-1 game.
The Eagles rallied in the eighth to take their first lead of the game, as Skirving's three-run double put the Eagles over the edge to make it a 9-7 game. EMU added two more in the inning to take a four-run advantage, 11-7.
After a Leonard RBI single made it 12-7 in the ninth, the Zips late attempt at a rally fell just short, as the Eagles held on for the 12-10 victory.
EMU has now won eight out of its last nine MAC three-game sets dating back to last season.
The Eagles have the opportunity for a sweep tomorrow when they wrap up the series at 1 p.m. at Lee Jackson Field.
