Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, March 30
Athens, Ohio
6 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
10-15, 3-1
9
at
7
Ohio
11-14, 1-3
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Eastern Michigan
3
1
0
1
2
0
2
0
0
9
15
0
Ohio
1
0
0
0
0
1
3
2
0
7
12
3
Baseball Hangs On for 9-7 Win Over Ohio
3/30/2012 10:11:00 PM | Baseball
Longo and Hitt homer, Magsig stays hot
Box Score
ATHENS, Ohio (EMUEagles.com)— The Eastern Michigan University baseball team took a seven-run lead into the bottom of the seventh inning, but had to fend off a resilient Ohio University offense for a tense 9-7 victory Friday evening, March 30, at Bob Wren Stadium. Ben Magsig's hot streak continued with a 3-for-4 showing including the game-winning double.
The Eagles (10-15; 3-1 MAC) won for the third time on the road this season and are now 4-1 in their last five contests. The Green and White used solo homeruns from Lee Longo and Mitt Hitt in the fifth inning to jump ahead, 7-1. After Ohio scored a run in the sixth, EMU put two more on the board to make it a 9-1 contest and seemingly put the game out of reach for OU.
However, the Bobcats (11-14; 1-3 MAC) had plenty of offense left in the tank as they scored three times in the seventh and twice in the eighth to cut their deficit to a pair, 9-7. Ohio brought the winning run to the plate in the ninth, but Joe Battistelli recorded the game-ending strikeout to lift the Eagles to the series-opening victory.
Steve Weber (2-3) pitched an effective 6.2 innings in a winning bid. The junior right hander plowed his way through 12 consecutive batters at one point and struck out a season-high seven. He gave up five earned runs on 10 hits.
Battistelli pitched for a third straight game and earned his second save of the season. He pitched a scoreless ninth inning and recorded all three outs on strikes despite walking a pair of batters.
As has become commonplace of late, Magsig led the way offensively with two doubles and three RBI. Since moving to the leadoff spot in Jay Alexander's batting order, the senior infielder is hitting 10-for-15 (.667) with four walks.
Bo Kinder (2-for-5) and Brent Ohrman (3-for-5) extended their hitting streaks to 13 and 10 games, respectively, with each player driving in a run.
Every EMU hitter reached base safely at least once in the contest, with eight Eagles notching one-or-more hits. The Green and White roughed up OU starter Brent Choban (3-2) for nine runs (eight earned) on 14 hits over 6.2 innings. EMU hitters struck for two doubles and a pair of round trippers against the OU ace who had a sub-1.00 ERA at home until Friday.
Tyler Wells led the Bobcats at the plate with a 3-for-4 performance which included three RBI and a double. Jensen Painter was 2-for-5 with an RBI and Ian Mezlak scored twice while going 2-for-4.
Magsig scored the game's first run in the opening frame when Ohio third baseman Logan Cozart sailed a throw to first base wide of target and allowed him to come home from second base. Jamie Simpson and Kinder then singled in a run apiece and the Eagles were off to a 3-0 lead.
Ohio cut into EMU's early advantage with a run in the second. Wells hit a one-out double and came around to score on a Jake Madsen single.
Austin Williams worked a walk with two out in the fourth inning before Magsig singled to right field to put runners at the corners. Ohrman then beat out a grounder to shortstop to drive in Williams and make it a 5-1 contest.
Eastern Michigan brought out the big sticks in the fifth inning as Longo belted his second homer of the season and Hitt followed two batters later with another solo drive to left field for his third and a 7-1 EMU lead.
As the Eagles' offense was cruising along, Weber was running roughshod through the Bobcats lineup. Weber recorded 12 consecutive outs including perfect second, third and fourth innings before Cody Gaertner hit a single with one out in the fifth.
After Ohio scraped a run across in the bottom of the sixth, the Eagles responded with a pair of tallies in the seventh to grow the lead to seven, 9-2. Magsig split the right-centerfield gap for a two-RBI double to plate Williams and Kinder.
In their following at-bat, the Bobcats suddenly woke up chased Weber from the mound after posting three runs. Wells capped off the scoring with a two-RBI single through the middle to bring OU back to within four, 9-5. The game tightened even further to 9-7 in the eighth as Kyle Dean doubled in a run and Mezlak scored on a Battistelli wild pitch.
EMU went down quietly in the ninth which left the game in the hands of Battistelli. The Allen Park, Mich. native walked a pair of batters but made up for it with a trio of strikeouts including one against Ohio's top slugger Painter. The Eagles crept away with the two-run victory just minutes before heavy thunderstorms invaded the Athens area.
Game two of the series is set for Saturday afternoon, March 31, at 3 p.m. Neil Butara (2-1) will try for a third straight win against lefty Jason Moulton (1-2).
ATHENS, Ohio (EMUEagles.com)— The Eastern Michigan University baseball team took a seven-run lead into the bottom of the seventh inning, but had to fend off a resilient Ohio University offense for a tense 9-7 victory Friday evening, March 30, at Bob Wren Stadium. Ben Magsig's hot streak continued with a 3-for-4 showing including the game-winning double.
The Eagles (10-15; 3-1 MAC) won for the third time on the road this season and are now 4-1 in their last five contests. The Green and White used solo homeruns from Lee Longo and Mitt Hitt in the fifth inning to jump ahead, 7-1. After Ohio scored a run in the sixth, EMU put two more on the board to make it a 9-1 contest and seemingly put the game out of reach for OU.
However, the Bobcats (11-14; 1-3 MAC) had plenty of offense left in the tank as they scored three times in the seventh and twice in the eighth to cut their deficit to a pair, 9-7. Ohio brought the winning run to the plate in the ninth, but Joe Battistelli recorded the game-ending strikeout to lift the Eagles to the series-opening victory.
Steve Weber (2-3) pitched an effective 6.2 innings in a winning bid. The junior right hander plowed his way through 12 consecutive batters at one point and struck out a season-high seven. He gave up five earned runs on 10 hits.
Battistelli pitched for a third straight game and earned his second save of the season. He pitched a scoreless ninth inning and recorded all three outs on strikes despite walking a pair of batters.
As has become commonplace of late, Magsig led the way offensively with two doubles and three RBI. Since moving to the leadoff spot in Jay Alexander's batting order, the senior infielder is hitting 10-for-15 (.667) with four walks.
Bo Kinder (2-for-5) and Brent Ohrman (3-for-5) extended their hitting streaks to 13 and 10 games, respectively, with each player driving in a run.
Every EMU hitter reached base safely at least once in the contest, with eight Eagles notching one-or-more hits. The Green and White roughed up OU starter Brent Choban (3-2) for nine runs (eight earned) on 14 hits over 6.2 innings. EMU hitters struck for two doubles and a pair of round trippers against the OU ace who had a sub-1.00 ERA at home until Friday.
Tyler Wells led the Bobcats at the plate with a 3-for-4 performance which included three RBI and a double. Jensen Painter was 2-for-5 with an RBI and Ian Mezlak scored twice while going 2-for-4.
Magsig scored the game's first run in the opening frame when Ohio third baseman Logan Cozart sailed a throw to first base wide of target and allowed him to come home from second base. Jamie Simpson and Kinder then singled in a run apiece and the Eagles were off to a 3-0 lead.
Ohio cut into EMU's early advantage with a run in the second. Wells hit a one-out double and came around to score on a Jake Madsen single.
Austin Williams worked a walk with two out in the fourth inning before Magsig singled to right field to put runners at the corners. Ohrman then beat out a grounder to shortstop to drive in Williams and make it a 5-1 contest.
Eastern Michigan brought out the big sticks in the fifth inning as Longo belted his second homer of the season and Hitt followed two batters later with another solo drive to left field for his third and a 7-1 EMU lead.
As the Eagles' offense was cruising along, Weber was running roughshod through the Bobcats lineup. Weber recorded 12 consecutive outs including perfect second, third and fourth innings before Cody Gaertner hit a single with one out in the fifth.
After Ohio scraped a run across in the bottom of the sixth, the Eagles responded with a pair of tallies in the seventh to grow the lead to seven, 9-2. Magsig split the right-centerfield gap for a two-RBI double to plate Williams and Kinder.
In their following at-bat, the Bobcats suddenly woke up chased Weber from the mound after posting three runs. Wells capped off the scoring with a two-RBI single through the middle to bring OU back to within four, 9-5. The game tightened even further to 9-7 in the eighth as Kyle Dean doubled in a run and Mezlak scored on a Battistelli wild pitch.
EMU went down quietly in the ninth which left the game in the hands of Battistelli. The Allen Park, Mich. native walked a pair of batters but made up for it with a trio of strikeouts including one against Ohio's top slugger Painter. The Eagles crept away with the two-run victory just minutes before heavy thunderstorms invaded the Athens area.
Game two of the series is set for Saturday afternoon, March 31, at 3 p.m. Neil Butara (2-1) will try for a third straight win against lefty Jason Moulton (1-2).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Weber, Steve (2-3)
L: CHOBAN (3-2)
S: Battistelli, Joe (2)
Batting:
2B: Magsig, Ben 2
HR: Longo, Lee 1 ; Hitt, Matt 1
RBI: Magsig, Ben 3 ; Ohrman, Brent 1 ; Simpson, Jamie 1 ; Longo, Lee 1 ; Hitt, Matt 1
SH: Ott, Sam 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Magsig, Ben 1 ; Ohrman, Brent 1 ; Ott, Sam 1 ; Longo, Lee 1 ; Kinder, Bo 1 ; Hitt, Matt 1 ; Rubino, Tucker 1 ; Williams, Austin 2
HBP: Magsig, Ben 2
PO: Ohrman, Brent 1
Batting:
2B: NEWTON 1 ; WELLS 1 ; DEAN 1
HR: WELLS 1
RBI: NEWTON 1 ; WELLS 3 ; MADSEN 1 ; DEAN 1
Base Running:
RUNS: NEWTON 1 ; WELLS 2 ; SCHMIDT 1 ; EMODY 1 ; MEZLAK 2
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
3
AB
5
R
1
H
3
RBI
1
AB
5
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
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