Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Kent State
Eagles Even Series With 8-6 Win Over Kent State
4/10/2010 6:04:22 PM | Baseball
Alexander wins career game number 200 with the victory over the Golden Flashes
Box score
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – A four-run bottom of the fifth inning Saturday afternoon, April 10, at Oestrike Stadium lifted the Eastern Michigan University baseball team to an 8-6 victory over the Kent State University Golden Flashes in a Mid-American Conference cross-divisional tilt, helping EMU Head Coach Jay Alexander win his 200th career game.
The Eagles improve to 14-17 (5-3 MAC) with the win, while the Flashes fall to 17-16 (5-3 MAC) with the loss. The victory snaps the Eagles' four-game losing streak versus the Golden Flashes dating back to last season.
Sophomore Brent Ohrman (Adrian, Mich.-Adrian) picked a good time to hit the first home run of his career, as his pinch hit two-run blast in the fifth put the finishing touches on the four-run inning and gave EMU the lead.
Junior transfer Bo Kinder (Wapella, Ill.-Clinton Community-Kaskaskia C.C.) went 3-for-5 with one run scored and one RBI at the plate in the victory, while redshirt sophomore Ben Magsig (Okemos, Mich.-Okemos-Lansing C.C.) and junior Matt Skirving (Midland, Mich.-H.H. Dow) both finished with two hits.
Sophomore right hander Kendall Lewis (Huntsville, Ohio-Indian Lake) picked up the win for the Eagles, as he went five innings, giving up five runs on 11 hits, striking out two batters. Justin Gill took the loss for KSU in relief of starter Robert Sabo.
The Golden Flashes put the first run on the scoreboard in the top of the third, as an RBI double down the left field line by Anthony Gallas scored one to make it a 1-0 game.
But the Eagles came back to tie it in the bottom half of the inning, as an RBI triple off the right field wall by Kinder plated sophomore Wally Gerbus (Fairfield, Ohio-Stephen T. Baden) to make it a 1-1 game.
Kent State took a two-run lead in the top of the fourth, as an RBI two-run single to left field by Evan Campbell scored a pair of Flashes to make it a 3-1 game.
The Eagles limited Kent State to a one-run lead in the bottom of the fourth after KSU's Sabo hit Gerbus with the bases loaded, making it a 3-2 game.
But Gallas again extending the Golden Flashes' lead, as his two-run home run over the wall in center in the top of the fifth put EMU down, 5-2.
Ohrman helped the Eagles take their first lead of the series in the bottom of the fifth, as his two-run pinch hit home run over the wall in center field put the finishing touches on a four-run inning, giving EMU a 6-5 lead. EMU extended its lead to two runs an inning later after a Texas League single to left field scored one, making it a 7-5 game.
Kent State made it a one-run game in the top of the seventh, as an RBI single through the right side by Jared Humphreys scored Kyle McMillen and made it a 7-6 game.
But junior Zack Leonard (Canton, Ohio-McKinley) extended the Eagles' lead to two in the bottom of the seventh, as his solo homer over the left field wall gave EMU an 8-6 lead, one they would not relinquish down the stretch, as freshman hurler Joe Battistelli (Allen Park, Mich.-Allen Park) went the final two and one-thirds innings to earn his second save of the season.
Tomorrow's series finale between the Eagles and Golden Flashes is set for 1 p.m. at Oestrike Stadium. Sophomore left hander Collin Taylor (Cincinnati, Ohio-Lakota West) will get the start on the mound for Eastern Michigan, while Kent State has yet to determine its starting pitcher.
