Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Belmont
Baseball Suffers 15-14 Setback at Belmont
3/5/2010 8:27:51 PM | Baseball
Eagles fall in the bottom of the ninth to the undefeated Bruins
Box score
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (EMUEagles.com) – After overcoming a seven-run deficit mid-way through the game to take a five-run lead, the Eastern Michigan University baseball team lost on a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth Friday afternoon, March 5, at Shelby Park in Nashville, Tenn., as the Belmont University Bruins claimed a 15-14 win over the Eagles.
EMU drops to 3-6 with the loss, while BU remains unbeaten at 9-0 with the win.
After striking out two out three batters to start the bottom of the ninth, the Bruins' Matt Zeblo hit belted a 3-2 offering off EMU freshman closer Brett Cisper (Loveland, Ohio-Moeller) to make it a 14-14 game. Belmont's next batter brought home the game-winner, as Phillip Parsley hit a 2-2 pitch to right field to win the game for the Bruins and hand the Eagles the loss.
Junior Zack Leonard (Canton, Ohio-McKinley) was stellar for the Eagles in the loss, as he hit his first home run of the year, a grand slam in the top of the third to spark the EMU comeback. Leonard finished 4-for-6 at the plate with five RBI and three runs scored, which all tie career-high marks for the infielder.
Not to be outdone, junior transfer Bo Kinder (Wapella, Ill.-Clinton Community-Kaskaskia C.C.) also hit a grand slam for the Eagles, his first round-tripper of the season and of his career at EMU. Kinder finished 1-for-4 with four RBI in the loss.
Redshirt sophomore transfer Ben Magsig (Okemos, Mich.-Okemos-Lansing C.C.) finished 3-for-3 at the plate in the loss with two runs scored, two RBI and two walks. Magsig has reached base safely in 10 consecutive at-bats after walking four times and going 2-for-2 in EMU's Feb. 28 game against South Alabama.
Junior pitcher Corey Chaffins (New London, Ohio-New London) and the Eagles got off to a shaky start, as the Bruins knocked in seven runs in the bottom of the first on seven hits, including a lead-off solo home run from Packy Elkins, to take a 7-0 advantage. Chaffins settled down after the first and ended up going six innings, allowing seven earned runs on 13 hits and three walks, while striking out five to earn his second straight no-decision.
But the Eagles mounted a comeback in the top of the third, as Leonard's grand slam and a two-run base hit from freshman Daniel Russell (Grandville, Mich.-Grandville) led to six runs and limited the Bruins to make it a 7-6 game. EMU completed the comeback an inning later, posting six runs on six hits to gain momentum and go ahead, 12-7.
After scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth and sixth, the Bruins made it a 12-12 game in the bottom of the seventh, scoring three runs on four hits, including a two-run double by Nat Woods.
But Leonard gave the Eagles back the lead in the top of the eighth, belting an RBI double to left center to plate senior Andrew Marshall (Mason, Mich.-Mason) to make it a 13-12 game. Leonard scored later in the inning on a sacrifice fly by junior Ken Battiston (West Milton, Ohio-Milton Union) to extend the lead to 14-12. Battiston finished 2-for-5 at the dish with one run scored and one RBI, while extending his hitting streak to nine games. Marshall finished the contest with three runs scored to go along with one hit and a pair of walks.
Belmont threatened an inning later, as an RBI double by Casha off Cisper made it a 14-13 game. But Cisper managed to keep the Bruins in check for the remainder of the inning to preserve the one-run lead going into the ninth inning.
But the Bruins managed to reclaim the lead to take game one of the series, as a walk-off RBI single by Phillip Parley following an RBI double by Matt Zeblo ended the game at 15-14 in favor of Belmont.
Eastern Michigan and Belmont combined for 29 runs on 39 hits in the contest, with the Bruins holding a 22-17 advantage in the hit column. The loss marks the second time in the past week that the Eagles have dropped a 15-14 game in the bottom of the ninth. The team also fell to South Alabama with the same outcome, Feb. 28, in Mobile, Ala.
The Eagles and Bruins wrap up their three-game set tomorrow with a doubleheader, beginning at 1 p.m. at Shelby Park.
