Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, May 10
Oestrike Stadium
3 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
8
vs
2
Toledo
Eagles Slam Past Rockets, 8-2
5/10/2008 6:02:49 PM | Baseball
Leonard goes 3-for-4 with grand slam, five RBI
YPSILANTI, Mich. — A Zack Leonard (Canton, Ohio-McKinley) grand slam in the seventh inning helped power the Eastern Michigan University baseball team to an 8-2 Mid-American Conference win over the University of Toledo here Saturday, May 10 at Oestrike Stadium.
With the victory, EMU moves to 19-30 (14-6) on the year and keeps a hold of first place in the West Division.
Leonard went 3-for-4 with five RBI on the day to lead the Eagles offensively. EMU totaled 14 hits, with four Eagles racking up multi-hit games. Freshman pitcher Jake Stapf (Hamilton, Ohio-Stephen T. Badin) picked up the win on the mound for the Green and White, tossing 8.0 innings, giving up seven hits and two runs while striking out eight. Dan Puls (Alpena, Mich.-Alpena) came on to record the final three outs of the contests, including a double play to end the game for EMU.
The Rockets took an early 1-0 lead in the second inning after Drew Hoisington hit a home run to left field. The UT lead did not last for long, as catcher Andrew Marshall (Mason, Mich.-Mason) ripped a double to left, scoring two to put the Eagles on top, 2-1 after two innings.
EMU was able to put another run on the board in the fourth inning when Josh Ivan (Belleville, Mich.-Belleville) doubled to left field. Leonard singled down the left field line to score Ivan from second, putting the Eagles on top, 3-1 after four innings of play.
After allowing Toledo to get a run back in the sixth, the Eagles were able to put four runs up in the seventh inning with one swing of the bat. Kyle Rhoad (Fostoria, Ohio-Elmwood) started the inning off with a double to left center, advancing to third off an Aaron Powell (Clarkston, Mich.-Clarkston) groundout. Two consecutive walks loaded the bases for EMU, bringing
Leonard to the plate. He hit the first pitch over the left field wall, giving EMU an 8-2 lead after seven.
The Rockets went down three straight in the eighth inning before putting the lead-off man on base in the ninth. Puls then came on, striking out the first batter he faced before forcing the game-ending double play.
The Eagles and Rockets will conclude their series tomorrow, Sunday May 11 at Oestrike Stadium. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. Tomorrow’s game is also senior day, as EMU will honor its eight seniors for their hard work and dedication to the program.
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