Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Jacksonville State
Eagles Drop Series Finale Against Gamecocks
3/14/2010 5:48:50 PM | Baseball
EMU drops the rubber-match to Jacksonville State, 17-9
Box score.
Photo Gallery.
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team could not recover from a six-run fourth inning by the Jacksonville State University Gamecocks Sunday afternoon, March 14, as the Eagles fell, 17-9, in the rubber-match of the three-game series at Rudy Abbott Field.
EMU drops to 5-9 with the loss, while JSU improves to 6-9 with the win.
After the Eagles scored three runs in the top of the third inning to take a 6-4 advantage, the Gamecocks opened up the flood gates in the bottom of the fourth inning, scoring six runs on four hits and capitalizing on an EMU fielding error to take a 10-6 lead. JSU would go on to score three more runs an inning later to take a commanding 13-6 lead.
EMU managed to pull within five runs late in the game, but the Gamecocks registered four more runs in the final three innings to secure the victory and win the three-game series.
Senior Aaron Crooks (Toledo, Ohio-Ottawa Hills) collected two hits for the Eagles in the loss, extending his team-best hitting streak to 10 games.
Juniors Ken Battiston (West Milton, Ohio-Milton Union) and Bo Kinder (Wapella, Ill.-Clinton Community-Kaskaskia C.C.) and sophomore Brent Ohrman (Adrian, Mich.-Adrian) finished with two hits in the loss as well, with a Kinder hitting his second home run of the season late in the game.
Jacksonville State got on the scoreboard early, as a two-run double by Andrew Edge and an RBI single from Kyle Bluestein in the bottom of the first inning put the Eagles behind, 3-0. JSU tacked on one more in the bottom of the second to make it a 4-0 game.
The Eagles limited the deficit to one in the top of the third, as an RBI single up the middle by Skirving and a sacrifice fly by freshman Daniel Russell (Grandville, Mich.-Grandville), coupled with an error by the Gamecocks to score one run, helped make it a 4-3 game. EMU tacked on three more runs an inning later, as RBI singles by Battiston and Magsig and a walk to Skirving with the bases loaded put the Eagles ahead, 6-4.
But the Gamecocks came back to take a four-run lead in the bottom of the fourth, posting six runs on four hits, including a solo home run by Jay Davis and a two-run double by Bert Smith, to put the Eagles down, 10-6. Jacksonville State tacked on three more runs an inning later to make it a 13-6 game.
After a single and an error put two runners on base with no outs in the bottom of the sixth, the Eagles turned an all-too rare triple play, as JSU's Todd Cunningham lined out to freshman first baseman Brett Cisper (Loveland, Ohio-Moeller), who proceeded to tag Blake Seguin for the second out and throw to junior shortstop Aaron Chavez (Milpitas, Calif.-Milpitas-Ohlone C.C.) for the force out at second base to put an end to the JSU threat.
The Eagles limited the deficit to five runs in the top of the seventh inning, as Kinder belted a two-run home run down the left field line to make it a 13-8 game.
But the Gamecocks' offense proved to be too much to overcome, as JSU tallied four more runs late in the game to take a nine-run edge and all but seal the win.
The Eagles now make the trek to Morgantown, W. Va., for four games versus the West Virginia University Mountaineers, March 19-21, at Hawley Field. Game one is slated for 3 p.m. on Friday, March 19, before the teams play a doubleheader on Saturday, March 20, beginning at 1 p.m. The two teams wrap up the series Sunday, March 21, at noon.
