Championship Rematch

Live Stats against Kent State

MAC Tournament Central

CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — The 2008 Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship will come down to one game tomorrow, May 24. This year’s final is a rematch of last year’s championship game and features the top two teams during the regular season; the No. 2 seed Eastern Michigan Eagles, winners of the MAC West Division, and the No. 1 seed Kent State University Golden Flashes, winners of the MAC East Division and regular season championship.

The Eagles enter the championship game having won three straight in the tournament, defeating Ohio University 9-6 yesterday afternoon for the right to play for the title. EMU opened up the tournament with an 8-5 win over Western Michigan University and followed it with an 11-4 win over Bowling Green in the second round.

EMU’s offense has been red hot this tournament, carrying a .364 team batting average and putting up 9.3 runs per game along with 13 hits per contest. Seniors Jeff Davis (Avondale, Ariz.-Westview) and Steve Bradshaw (Lapeer, Mich.-Lapeer) have been a lethal combination this tournament. Davis, batting .545 and slugging .909, has scored three times and batted in four runs. Bradshaw, the Eagles’ leading hitter for the past three seasons enters the final batting .462 with three doubles, five RBI and seven runs scored. Every batter in the Eagles’ lineup has at least one RBI and seven different Green and White players have hit a home run.

The Green and White pitching staff have also got the job done this tournament, allowing just five runs and seven hits per game. Junior Sean Hoffman (Midland, Mich.-Midland) was the game one winner, throwing a complete game, six-hitter against WMU. Junior Matt Shoemaker (Trenton, Mich.-Trenton) picked up the win in game two, tossing six and two-thirds innings, allowing seven hits and three earned runs while striking out four against BGSU. True Freshman Jake Stapf (Hamilton, Ohio-Stephen T. Badin) ran into a rough patch in his game three start against Ohio, allowing the Bobcats to take a 5-3 lead after a five-run third. After the Eagles’ offense answered and regained the lead the next inning, Stapf shut down the OU bats, allowing just one run and three hits over the next five and two-thirds innings. Sophomore closer Robert Wendzicki (Brook Park, Ohio-Midpark) picked up his ninth save of the season, coming in to get the final out in the ninth.

Kent State will be playing in its third consecutive championship game Saturday. The Golden Flashes opened the tournament with a 4-2 win over Central Michigan. KSU then defeated Northern Illinois 10-6 in the second round, and again defeated the Huskies in the third round, 10-3. On the mound for Kent State will be junior right-hander Steve Ross. Ross carries a 2-1 record on the year with a 3.95 ERA in 14 appearances. He has pitched 43.1 innings, striking out 27 while walking 10.

Ross’ counterpart in the tournament championship will be Hoffman. The game one winner for the Eagles is 4-2 on the year with a 6.30 ERA in 13 starts. He carries a team-leading 53 strikeouts in 85.2 innings of work.

First pitch for the winner-take-all championship game at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio is set for 1 p.m.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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