Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Michigan
Baseball Splits Doubleheader at Michigan
4/18/2007 11:02:20 PM | Baseball
Eagles snap Wolverines’ 16-game win streak
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team split a seven-inning doubleheader, 10-2 and 10-7, against the University of Michigan in non-conference action here Wednesday afternoon at Ray Fisher Stadium. With the win in game one, the Eagles snapped U-M’s 16-game winning streak and handed the Wolverines their first home loss of the season. The victory also marked the first time EMU has won at Michigan since April 18, 1996 when the Eagles defeated the Wolverines 4-1.
Eastern (13-14) used a six-run second inning en route to its game one victory with 10 total hits and 10 runs scored. The Eagle pitching staff limited U-M (23-7) to only two runs on five hits with 10 batters left on base. In game two, EMU once again jumped out to a 6-1 lead spearheaded by a five run first inning. However, unlike in game one, the pitching staff could not bottle up U-M’s offense as the Wolverines used a six-run fourth inning and three run fifth to quickly erase a five run deficit and turn it into a three run victory tallying 10 runs on 12 hits.
Senior Derek Lehrman led EMU hitting .714 over the two games going 5-for-7 with two doubles, three runs scored and one RBI for an impressive 1.000 slugging percentage. Senior Patrick Dean hit 4-for-7(.571) with four RBI, two runs scored and a double. Junior Jeff Davis also hit .500 going 4-for-8 at the plate with two RBI and three runs scored.
Freshman Kevin Sikora (2-0) picked up the win in game one allowing only two runs on three hits with two strikeouts in 4.1 innings of work while senior Matt Dillard (0-3) picked up the loss in game two surrendering the go ahead run in the fourth inning. Michigan’s Eric Katzman picked up loss getting touched up for six earned runs on five hits in 1.2 innings of work in game one with Adam Abraham getting the win in game two going 4.0 innings with three strikeouts on four scattered hits.
In game one, Michigan got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning as Nate Recknagel hit a towering homerun over the left field fence to give the Wolverines a 1-0 lead.
The lead would not last long as EMU’s bats came alive in the top of the second inning. Lehrman led off with a single and was moved over to second on a sacrifice bunt. Dean drew a walk and Davis followed with single to left field to load the bases. Mike Boyd then stepped to the plate and hit a shot to left center field for his first career triple to clear the bases and give Eastern a 3-1 lead. Freshman Aaron Crooks followed with his first career triple to plate Boyd. Aaron Powell then belted his second home run of the season over the left field wall to give the Eagles a 6-1 lead.
Michigan added another run in the bottom of the third to pull closer at 6-2.
EMU increased its lead in the fourth inning as Boyd doubled to score Davis and was then moved over to third on a sacrifice by Crooks. Powell then hit a sacrifice to second to bring in Boyd from third base and move the Eagles ahead 8-2.
The Eagles added another run in the next frame off a Dean RBI single which scored pitch runner Jim Gulliver and notched one more in the top of the seventh for a 10-2 victory.
EMU got off to a hot start in game two with a two RBI double by Dean gave the Eagles an early 2-0 lead. The offensive explosion continued courtesy of a Davis RBI single and a two run single from Crooks. Eastern sent all nine batters to the plate in the first and took a 5-0 lead after one inning of play.
Michigan got on the board in the bottom of the second as Derek VanBuskirk hit a RBI double to center to cut the lead to 5-1.
After EMU took a 6-1 lead on a RBI double by Lehrman in the fourth inning, Michigan’s bats caught fire and the flood gates opened against EMU in the bottom of the frame. The Wolverine’s got a RBI on a fielder’s choice to cut into the lead at 6-2. With two outs, U-M tallied six more hits coupled with an EMU error to add five additional runs to take a 7-6 lead.
Michigan added three more runs in the bottom of the fifth on two hits to take a 10-6 lead. EMU added another run in the top of the seventh but it was not enough as U-M closed out the game for a 10-7 victory. The Wolverines was led offensively Doug Pickens who went 3-for-3 with two runs scored.
EMU resumes conference play with a three-game series at Ball State in Muncie Ind.. Game one first pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Friday, April 20.
