Eastern Michigan Athletics
Sunday, May 1
Oestrike Stadium
1 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
18
vs
5
Ball State
Ken Battiston
Photo by: Jeremy Allen
Baseball Powers Past Cardinals, 18-5, For Series Sweep
5/1/2011 4:36:56 PM | Baseball
The EMU baseball team hit four homeruns en route to a blowout win and series sweep of Ball State University Sunday, May 1.
Box Score
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Four homeruns and 19 hits powered the Eastern Michigan University baseball team to an 18-5 win and a Mid-American Conference West Division series sweep over the Ball State University Cardinals at Oestrike Stadium, Sunday afternoon, May 1.
The Eagles posted 18 runs on 19 hits as they out-scored the Cardinals 36-8 in the three-game series. EMU scored all but two of its runs in innings 3-6 and blew it wide open with a six-run fourth. Ken Battiston (West Milton, Ohio-Milton Union) recorded his first career multi-homer game as he drove in seven RBI in a 3-for-6 day at the plate. Daniel Russell (Grandville, Mich.-Grandville) hit his first career homerun in the third inning while Zack Leonard (Canton, Ohio-McKinley) also went deep as the Eagles moved to 11-0 when scoring 10 or more runs in a game this season.
Joe Battistelli (Allen Park, Mich.-Allen Park) made his first MAC start this season and picked up his fifth win to move to 5-1 after scattering just two runs on eight hits over six innings pitched. He also struck out six while walking only two. Ball State used nine pitchers on the afternoon with starter Cal Bowling taking the loss to fall to 4-4 on the year.
With the win, EMU improves to 28-15 overall, 12-6 in the MAC while Ball State falls to 12-28 (8-9 MAC).
Eastern Michigan tallied four runs on six hits in the third inning. The frame got started with three straight hits. A leadoff single by Lee Longo (Mayfield, Ohio-Mayfield) was followed by a double from Matt Hitt (Fishers, Ind.-Fishers-Kishwaukee C.C.) before Battiston drove them both home with a two-run double to left center to put the Eagles on the board.
Two batters later, Russell supplied the power as he sent a 1-0 pitch over the center field fence. It was his first career homerun as an Eagle and he currently leads the team with 34 RBI this season.
Trailing 4-0, the Cardinals strung together a rally in the top half of the fourth, getting two runs back off the right-hander Battistelli. BSU recorded five singles and got run-scoring hits from Sean Godfrey and Cody Campbell.
The EMU catcher, Hitt, prevented a bigger inning from taking place as he threw out two base runners in the frame. He picked off Tim Issler, who was leaning too far off of second base, for the first out. Then, with runners at first and second and two outs, he threw out Mitch Overley at second base looking to take advantage of a potential wild pitch to end the inning.
EMU then responded with a six-spot in their half of the fourth while forcing the Cardinals to use four different pitchers. Brent Ohrman (Adrian, Mich.-Adrian) and Ben Magsig (Okemos, Mich.-Okemos-Lansing C.C.) started the scoring binge with a pair of RBI singles followed by Leonard's record-tying double, bringing in Magsig and Russell for two more Eagle runs to extend the lead to 8-2. Leonard is now tied with Greg Ryan ('98) for the EMU all-time lead for career doubles with 59.
Later in the frame, Longo and Sam Ott (Canton, Mich.-Salem) posted two run-scoring singles to balloon the EMU advantage to 10-2.
In the fifth, Leonard delivered another blow with a three-run homer to left field, his second long ball of the season, to make the score 13-2, Eagles.
It would grow to 16-2 when a three-run sixth was capped off with Battiston's first homerun of the day, a three-run shot to straight away center field. His second homerun came with a man on two innings later and landed in nearly the same spot to give the Eagles an 18-5 advantage. He finished the day with seven RBI.
EMU now sits in a three-way tie with Toledo and Central Michigan for first place in the MAC West Division. The Eagles will travel to Louisville, Ky. for a two-game set, May 3-4, with the Cardinals before returning home to host a MAC series with West Division foe Northern Illinois University, May 6-8.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Four homeruns and 19 hits powered the Eastern Michigan University baseball team to an 18-5 win and a Mid-American Conference West Division series sweep over the Ball State University Cardinals at Oestrike Stadium, Sunday afternoon, May 1.
The Eagles posted 18 runs on 19 hits as they out-scored the Cardinals 36-8 in the three-game series. EMU scored all but two of its runs in innings 3-6 and blew it wide open with a six-run fourth. Ken Battiston (West Milton, Ohio-Milton Union) recorded his first career multi-homer game as he drove in seven RBI in a 3-for-6 day at the plate. Daniel Russell (Grandville, Mich.-Grandville) hit his first career homerun in the third inning while Zack Leonard (Canton, Ohio-McKinley) also went deep as the Eagles moved to 11-0 when scoring 10 or more runs in a game this season.
Joe Battistelli (Allen Park, Mich.-Allen Park) made his first MAC start this season and picked up his fifth win to move to 5-1 after scattering just two runs on eight hits over six innings pitched. He also struck out six while walking only two. Ball State used nine pitchers on the afternoon with starter Cal Bowling taking the loss to fall to 4-4 on the year.
With the win, EMU improves to 28-15 overall, 12-6 in the MAC while Ball State falls to 12-28 (8-9 MAC).
Eastern Michigan tallied four runs on six hits in the third inning. The frame got started with three straight hits. A leadoff single by Lee Longo (Mayfield, Ohio-Mayfield) was followed by a double from Matt Hitt (Fishers, Ind.-Fishers-Kishwaukee C.C.) before Battiston drove them both home with a two-run double to left center to put the Eagles on the board.
Two batters later, Russell supplied the power as he sent a 1-0 pitch over the center field fence. It was his first career homerun as an Eagle and he currently leads the team with 34 RBI this season.
Trailing 4-0, the Cardinals strung together a rally in the top half of the fourth, getting two runs back off the right-hander Battistelli. BSU recorded five singles and got run-scoring hits from Sean Godfrey and Cody Campbell.
The EMU catcher, Hitt, prevented a bigger inning from taking place as he threw out two base runners in the frame. He picked off Tim Issler, who was leaning too far off of second base, for the first out. Then, with runners at first and second and two outs, he threw out Mitch Overley at second base looking to take advantage of a potential wild pitch to end the inning.
EMU then responded with a six-spot in their half of the fourth while forcing the Cardinals to use four different pitchers. Brent Ohrman (Adrian, Mich.-Adrian) and Ben Magsig (Okemos, Mich.-Okemos-Lansing C.C.) started the scoring binge with a pair of RBI singles followed by Leonard's record-tying double, bringing in Magsig and Russell for two more Eagle runs to extend the lead to 8-2. Leonard is now tied with Greg Ryan ('98) for the EMU all-time lead for career doubles with 59.
Later in the frame, Longo and Sam Ott (Canton, Mich.-Salem) posted two run-scoring singles to balloon the EMU advantage to 10-2.
In the fifth, Leonard delivered another blow with a three-run homer to left field, his second long ball of the season, to make the score 13-2, Eagles.
It would grow to 16-2 when a three-run sixth was capped off with Battiston's first homerun of the day, a three-run shot to straight away center field. His second homerun came with a man on two innings later and landed in nearly the same spot to give the Eagles an 18-5 advantage. He finished the day with seven RBI.
EMU now sits in a three-way tie with Toledo and Central Michigan for first place in the MAC West Division. The Eagles will travel to Louisville, Ky. for a two-game set, May 3-4, with the Cardinals before returning home to host a MAC series with West Division foe Northern Illinois University, May 6-8.
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