Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Akron
Offensive Explosion Powers EMU to 11-4 Victory Over Akron
4/17/2011 4:27:08 PM | Baseball
Ben Magsig and Sam Ott combine to drive in eight of the Eagles runs
Box score.
Postgame Comments from Coach Alexander (MP3).
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- Needing to snap a five-game conference losing skid and avoid the series sweep, the Eastern Michigan University baseball team delivered with an 11-4 victory over the University of Akron in the wrap up of the three-game Mid-American Conference series Sunday, April 17, at Oestrike Stadium. After trailing by a score of 4-1 in the second inning, the Eagles scored 10 unanswered runs to cruise to the seven-run victory.
For Eastern Michigan, which moves to 20-15 (6-6 MAC) on the year, Ben Magsig (Okemos, Mich.-Okemos-Lansing C.C.) and Sam Ott (Canton, Mich.-Salem) each had tremendous afternoons, each driving in four runs for the Eagles. Magsig was 4-for-5 with the stick, notching a homerun and three singles, while also coming around to score each time he was on base. Ott, who was hitless on the season coming into the game, picked up a double and a homerun in his four trips to the plate.
Steve Weber (North Royalton, Ohio-North Royalton) picked up his fourth victory of the year, going 5.0 innings, allowing six his and four runs while striking out three. Jordan Glover (Toronto, Ont.-Ontario Schools) finished the final 4.0 innings to earn his first save of the season, with the Zips notching just two hits off the junior right-hander.
Tyler Begun, Brandon White, and Jared Turocy had two hits each for Akron, which dropped to 8-26 (2-10 MAC). Matt Copora drove in a pair. Myles McVeigh took the loss on the hill for Akron, allowing seven runs in 4.2 innings of work.
With the winds blowing out to right field at 30 miles-per-hour and temperatures hovering in the low-40s, Akron got on the board just four batters into the contest. Tyler Begun lead off with and single before stealing second base. He then came around on a double off the bat of Brandon White to give the Zips the early 1-0 edge.
Right back in the bottom of the frame Eastern Michigan would answer with three hits in the first inning, as Magsig singled in the first EMU run of the contest to knot the score a 1-1.
As they had done all series long, Akron took advantage of an EMU miscue to retake the lead at 4-1. James Sheltrown reached base via the hit-by-pitch and the moved on to second on a sacrifice bunt by Dan Durant. On the play, Weber threw to second and looked to have gunned down the lead runner, but the third base umpire ruled the ball had been dropped by the EMU shortstop as he was applying the tag. That would prove huge, as it would have been the second out of the stanza but instead allowed Akron to continue to hit. Two UA hits followed leading to the three unearned runs for the Zips.
Ken Battiston's (West Milton, Ohio-Milton Union) RBI single in the second inning plated Matt Hitt (Fishers, Ind.-Fishers-Kishwaukee College) to cut the deficit to a just a pair at 4-2.
Both sides settled down with EMU managing only a slight scoring threat in the fourth inning after McVeigh hit a batter and walked another after two were already out in the frame. However, he would get Battiston to fly out to escape the self-induced jam.
After a quiet afternoon offensively, Eastern was able push across five runs in the fifth inning after two outs were already in the books to go in front by three, 7-4. The Green and White saw six consecutive batters reach safely, with the big blow of the inning coming off the bat of Ott to clear the bases for a three-run double to right-center field. The hit and the three RBI were the first of the season for the sophomore designated hitter from Canton, Mich.
The offensive onslaught continued for EMU in the sixth. Daniel Russell (Grandville, Mich.-Grandville) opened with a single before Magsig crushed a 1-0 offering over the right field wall for his third homerun of the season to make it 9-4 in favor of the homestanding Eagles.
Ott's career-afternoon continued in the very next inning, as he deposited the Scott Foster pitch over the wall in right field for his first homerun. The solo-shot upped the EMU cushion to six runs, 10-4, after the team had managed a combined nine runs in the first two games of the weekend series.
The hits just kept on coming for the Green and White, Magsig collected his fourth hit of the day to plate Brent Ohrman (Adrian, Mich.-Adrian) to make it 11-4.
The Eagles will have a couple days off before making the short trip across the county to take on the University of Michigan in a mid-week contest Wednesday, April 20. It will be the third and final meeting between the two squads as the Eagles dropped the first matchup, 5-2, before Brian Valente led the Green and White to an 8-2 triumph in their last outing.
The Eagles and Wolverines are slated for a 6:05 p.m. start in Ann Arbor. After that, EMU will prepare for a three-game road series, April 22-24, against the upstart Western Michigan Broncos, which are currently third in the MAC West with a 7-5 league mark.
