Baseball Edges Western Michigan, 4-3

Box Score

KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Junior closer Matt Shoemaker picked up his 12th save of the season to move into second place all-time on the EMU career saves list as the Eastern Michigan University baseball team held off in-state rival Western Michigan, 4-3, in Mid-American conference action here Thursday afternoon at Haymes Field. With the win, EMU (27-22, 19-4 MAC) regained the lead atop the MAC West Division based on a .826 winning percentage compared to Central Michigan’s (34-18, 20-5 MAC) .800 percentage. EMU’s 19 MAC wins is tied for the second most conference victories since the 2002 team recorded a 19-9 mark to clinch the West Division title. The Eagles are now only two wins away from setting the all-time school record for MAC victories in a season.

EMU got another solid performance from junior ace pitcher Jeff Fischer (7-4) who went eight innings allowing three runs on five scattered hits with five strikeouts. Fischer’s five strikeouts move him into a second place tie with Anthony Tomey on the all-time EMU career strikeout list with 249.

The Eagles were led offensively by senior Derek Lehrman who went 1-for-4 with two RBI. Senior Patrick Dean also went 1-for-4 and drove in the eventual winning run in the sixth inning while junior Steve Bradshaw hit 1-for-3 with a RBI and run scored.

WMU’s Ethan Hollingsworth picked up the loss with a good effort on the mound allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits with four strikeouts in six innings of work. The Broncos were led at the plate by Kyle Galbraith who hit 1-for-4 and drove in all three of Western’s runs.

Western got on the board first with a two-run RBI single to left field by Galbraith to go ahead 2-0 in the bottom of the second inning.

EMU responded in the top of the third on Lehrman’s two-run RBI single to center field to plate Jeff Davis and Trumaine Riley. Bradshaw followed with an RBI single to right field scoring Jeff Hehr to move the Eagles ahead 3-2.

Eastern added another run in the sixth as Bradshaw reached on an error by the shortstop and was driven in by a Dean RBI single to center field to put EMU up 4-2.

Shoemaker came into the game in the bottom of the ninth inning with a runner on first base and no outs. WMU got a single and sacrifice but to get runners on second and third base. Galbraith grounded out to third base allowing a run to score to pull the Broncos within one, 4-3. Shoemaker got Matt Abro to pop out to center field with runners on first and second to end the game.

Game two of the three-game series between EMU and WMU is Friday, May 18 at 1 p.m.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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