Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Toledo (MAC First Round)
Baseball Holds Off Toledo
5/23/2007 8:31:54 PM | Baseball
Eagles advance to face Central Michigan in quarterfinal round of the 2007 Mid-American Conference Tournament
YPSILANTI, Mich.
— Behind three clutch home runs, the No. 1 seed Eastern Michigan University baseball team held off the No. 6 seed University of Toledo Rockets, 6-5, in first round action of the 2007 Mid-American Conference Tournament here Wednesday afternoon at Oestrike Stadium. The victory marked the first tournament win for the Eagles since the 2004 season.Junior Jeff Fischer (8-4) picked up the win tallying nine strikeouts giving him 92 on the season to move into second place all-time in EMU history with 258 career strikeouts passing Anthony Tomey. Fischer allowed four runs on six scattered hits in seven innings of work. Sophomore Matt Shoemaker picked up his 14th save of the season getting the final Toledo batter to ground out with runners on first and second in the bottom of the ninth inning.
EMU (30-22) scored six runs on six hits using the long ball to earn a hard fought victory. The Eagles were led by sophomore Kyle Rhoad who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored off his home run in the sixth inning which drove in the eventual winning run. Junior Jeff Hehr hit 1-for-3 with two RBI while senior Derek Lehrman went 1-for-4 with a RBI. Both hits for each player came on back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning.
Toledo (26-27) pitcher Mike Inselmann picked up the loss allowing six runs on eight hits in six innings of work. The Rockets were led by Jake Oester, Scott Boley, Nate McKeon and Tim Krofcheck who each had two hits with a combined four RBI and a run scored.
EMU got some help from Toledo’s defense in the bottom of the second inning as the Rockets committed two errors on a dropped foul ball and throwing error by the third basemen to give the Eagles an unearned run to go up 1-0. Eastern kept up the pressure and loaded the bases, but Inselman got Rhoad and Jeff Davis to ground and fly out respectively to get out of the jam.
Toledo got to Fischer in the top of the fifth inning as Boley hit a bases loaded double down the left field line to score two runs giving UT a 2-1 lead. However, in the bottom of the frame, it didn’t take much time for EMU to respond with back-to-back home runs courtesy of a two-run shot by Hehr and a solo blast by Lehrman over the right field fence to go up, 4-2.
The Rockets would not go away as Krocheck hit a two-RBI single to tie the score at 4-4 in the top of the sixth. Once again, EMU regained the lead with another two-run home run by Rhoad to take a 6-4 lead.
UT added another run in the top of the eighth as Joel Visser hit into double play to pull the Rockets within one, 6-5.
After Davis allowed two runners to get on second and first base in the top of the ninth with two outs, Shoemaker came in and got Josh Colliver to ground out to second base to preserve the 6-5 victory.
EMU will face in-state rival Central Michigan Thursday, May 24 at 1 p.m.
