Baseball Blasts Central Michigan

Box Score

YPSILANTI, Mich. — The No. 1 seed Eastern Michigan University baseball team rolled into the semi-finals of the 2007 Mid-American Conference Tournament with a 12-6 victory over in-state rival and No. 3 seed Central Michigan University in quarterfinal action here Thursday afternoon at Oestrike Stadium. The Eagles will take on the winner of the Miami-Kent State game for a chance to play for the championship.

EMU’s (31-22) high-powered offense tallied 12 runs on 11 hits with a grand slam home run and three solo shots. The Eagles have hit an impressive seven home runs in their last two games. Defensively, Eastern held 14 CMU runners on base.

Three Eastern players notched multiple hits with junior Steve Bradshaw leading the way going 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored. Sophomore Kyle Rhoad hit 2-for-4 with two runs scored, an RBI and a solo home run while junior Jeff Davis also went 2-for-4 two runs scored and a RBI. Junior Mike Boyd went 1-for-3 with two RBI, three runs scored and a solo home run. Junior Jeff Hehr went 1-for-4 with four RBI courtesy of a grand slam home run while senior Derek Lehrman tallied a solo home run going 1-for-5 at the plate with a run scored.

Senior George Biddle (8-4) picked up the win allowing three runs on five hits with three strikeouts in five innings of work. Freshman Robert Wendicki picked up his first career save going four innings allowing three runs on six hits with three strikeouts.

CMU finishes the season with a 35-21 record. Pitcher Dan Taylor picked up the loss allowing six runs on seven hits in 5.1 innings of work. The Chippewas were led by Cody Allen who went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and a RBI.

EMU got on the board quickly in the top first inning as Rhoad led off with a home run over the left field fence while Bradshaw singled to plate Boyd to give the Eagles a 2-0. However, in the bottom the frame, Allen led off with a triple for CMU. Biddle then hit the next batter and walked another to load the bases. Ben Humphrey hit a sacrifice fly to bring in a run cutting the lead in half, 2-1. With the bases still loaded, Tyler Stovall flied out to Davis in right field who in turn fired the ball to home plate. Lehrman caught the ball on the right side of the batters box plate and dove across home late to deliver the run-saving tag to compete the double play preserving EMU’s lead.

Eastern added another run in the fourth inning on a Davis sacrifice fly to score Bradshaw putting the Eagles up 3-1.

Central added a run in the bottom of the fifth inning on a Billy Anderson sacrifice bunt to once again pull with in one, 3-2. The Chippewas caught a case of déjà vu as the Davis once again robbed Stovall of a RBI hit. Stovall stepped to the plate with runners in scoring position, similar to the first inning, and hit another shot to right field with Davis making a diving catch to get EMU out of the inning.

Lehrman led off the sixth inning with a home run to right center field. Josh Ivan singled to third base scoring Bradshaw and moving Davis over to second base. Davis then stole third and scored on a throwing error by the catcher to give EMU a 6-2 lead. CMU came back with a run in the bottom of the frame on a Jeff Helps RBI single to cut into the lead, 6-3.

Boyd quickly got the run back for the Eagles hitting the first pitch of the seventh inning out of the park to give EMU a 7-3 lead. CMU once again responded with a run on a James Teas RBI single to pull within three, 7-4.

Eastern got a run as CMU pitcher Jason Brown walked in a run with the bases loaded. Hehr followed and blew the game open with a grand slam home run to put the Eagles up 12-4. CMU added two runs in the eighth and ninth before Wendzicki closed out the game for a 12-6 victory.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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