Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Toledo
Kinder's Walk-Off Lifts EMU to 7-6 Win Over Toledo
5/28/2010 12:01:55 AM | Baseball
Eagles improve to 2-0 in the MAC Tournament with a walk-off win in the bottom of the 10th inning
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CHILLICOTHE, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – A walk-off solo home run from junior Bo Kinder (Wapella, Ill.-Clinton Community-Kaskaskia C.C.) in the bottom of the 10th inning Thursday night, May 27, lifted the Eastern Michigan University baseball team to a 7-6 victory over the No. 3 seeded Rockets from the University of Toledo in the second round of the 2010 Mid-American Conference Tournament at V.A. Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio.
Facing a six-run deficit, the Eagles (27-30) chipped away at Toledo's lead throughout the contest, and after senior Andrew Marshall (Mason, Mich.-Mason) belted a solo homer in the ninth to send the game to extra innings, Kinder provided more fireworks with another solo blast to give the Eagles the win. Kinder finished the game 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored, while Marshall finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI.
The victory snaps a five-game losing streak to the Rockets, who now take on No. 2 seeded Kent State University tomorrow afternoon at 12:30 p.m., with EMU facing the winner at 7:30 p.m.
Junior left-hander Rob Wendzicki (Brook Park, Ohio-Midpark) pitched outstanding in relief to earn his first decision of the season and first since the 2008 season. Wendzicki (1-0) went the final three and one-thirds innings, surrendering just one hit to the Rockets.
Junior Zack Leonard (Canton, Ohio-McKinley) finished the contest 1-for-5 at the plate, extending his MAC Tournament hitting streak to 10 games. Leonard hit safely in all four of EMU's MAC Tournament games in 2008 en route to tournament MVP honors and all four games in 2009 to earn MAC All-Tournament team accolades.
The Rockets got ahead early in the contest, as three runs in the top of the first and three in the top of the second gave Toledo momentum and a six-run edge.
Eastern Michigan got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth inning, as an RBI single up the middle by freshman Daniel Russell (Grandville, Mich.-Grandville) scored Leonard to make it a 6-1 game. The Eagles tacked on one more in the inning to limit the Rockets to a 6-2 lead.
Kinder limited the Rockets to a three-run lead in the bottom of the sixth, as his RBI single into shallow right field scored Marshall from second base to make it a 6-3 game. Russell helped make it a two-run game following Kinder's at-bat with an RBI base hit through the left side to make it a 6-4 game. Sophomore Wally Gerbus (Fairfield, Ohio-Stephen T. Baden) kept the offense going following Russell's base knock, as his single through the left side plated Kinder to pull EMU within a run, 6-5. Gerbus finished the game 3-for-3 at the plate.
Gerbus nearly tied the game in the bottom of the eighth, as his two-out double off the right field wall just missed clearing the wall for a solo homer. However, Toledo relief pitcher Matt Kuna managed to get out of the inning without any damage to keep the Eagles behind, 6-5.
But Marshall finally got the Eagles over the hump in the bottom of the ninth, as his solo blast over the right field wall with two outs made it a 6-6 game.
The Eagles put the finishing touches on the six-run comeback an inning later, as Kinder's walk-off homer into the Chillicothe night gave EMU the victory.
