Baseball Falls in Series Finale to Western Michigan

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team fell in the series finale to Western Michigan University, 12-5, Sunday afternoon, April 29, at Oestrike Stadium.

EMU (16-24, 9-9 MAC) had the game within two runs going into the eighth, but a five-run inning from WMU (18-18, 7-7 MAC) was enough to get the Broncos the series-clinching win.

Eastern's offense sprung for nine hits on the day, spread among eight batters. Freshman Nate Jones (Battle Creek, Mich.-Lakeview) extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a two-RBI triple, his second three-bagger of the season. Fellow freshman Eli Gora (Cincinnati, Ohio-Anderson) notched a two-hit game, including an RBI single.

On the hill, freshman Scott Granzotto (Northville, Mich.-Gabriel Richard) extended his scoreless inning streak to 10 with a clean inning, including a strikeout. He currently leads all EMU relief pitchers with a 3.37 ERA on the season.

Western opened the scoring in the second inning, plating one on a sacrifice fly, but they left runners stranded on second and third, keeping it 1-0. Eastern responded immediately in the bottom of the second, as sophomore Devin Hager (Commerce Township, Mich.-Walled Lake Northern) executed a perfect safety squeeze to plate the tying run.

WMU then used some power to take a commanding lead, as they smacked a three-run homer in the fourth, followed by a two run shot in the fifth, to jump ahead, 7-1, into the sixth.

Following a scoreless sixth, EMU's bats found some life in the seventh, springing for four runs on four hits and an error. The inning began with a double from Hager, followed by an error by WMU, to put two on for Nate Jones. The freshman smacked a triple down the right field line, scoring the pair. The next batter, junior Max Schuemann (Portage, Mich.-Portage Northern), followed with a bloop RBI double to center, scoring Jones, and making it 7-4. One batter later, Gora drove in the fourth run of the frame with a solid single to right, closing the gap to 7-5 into the eighth.

The Broncos' offense did not relent in the top of the eighth, as they struck for five more runs to put their lead up to seven, 12-5. That lead would go on to hold, as WMU kept the EMU offense at bay the final two innings.

EMU gets back in action this Tuesday, May 1, for the first game in a home-and-home series versus Washtenaw County rival, the University of Michigan. First pitch from Ann Arbor is set for 6 p.m.

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Team Stats

Eli Gora

Nate Jones

Max Schuemann

Zachary Owings

Players Mentioned

Eli Gora

Scott Granzotto

Devin Hager

Nate Jones

Max Schuemann

Players Mentioned

Eli Gora

Scott Granzotto

Devin Hager

Nate Jones

Max Schuemann

Eastern Michigan Athletics