Eastern Michigan Athletics
Tuesday, May 3
Louisville, Ky.
6 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
4
at
3
Louisville
Brian Valente
Photo by: EMU Athletics/Randy Mascharka
EMU Cashes In, 4-3, Comeback Win at Louisville
5/3/2011 10:51:56 PM | Baseball
The Eagles use a four-run eighth inning to stun the host Cardinals, 4-3, on Tuesday.
Box Score
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (EMUEagles.com) – First baseman Kyle Klein's (Grand Rapids, Mich.-West Catholic) game-saving stop and toss to first for the final out sealed a dramatic comeback victory on the road for the Eastern Michigan University baseball team as it knocked off host Louisville University, 4-3, in the first of a two-game non-conference set at Jim Patterson Stadium, Tuesday evening, May 3.
A more than five-and-a-half-hour bus ride down to Louisville didn't faze the Eagles as they made a long day a sweet one, boosting their regular season resume with their 18th road win of the year.
Errors plagued the Cardinals in a four-run EMU eighth inning. After a Brent Ohrman (Adrian, Mich.-Adrian) single led off the frame, Head Coach Jay Alexander called for back-to-back sacrifice bunts to move the runner and then runners into scoring position, but not an out was made as back-to-back errors were committed to load the bases with still no one out.
Senior Zack Leonard (Canton, Ohio-McKinley), who recently became the EMU overall hit king and doubles leader, smacked a ground-rule double to left center field to score Ohrman and Daniel Russell (Grandville, Mich.-Grandville) to give the Eagles a 2-1 lead, one they would not relinquish.
Ben Magsig (Okemos, Mich.-Okemos-Lansing C.C.) finished the 3-for-4 with a run scored for the Eagles. Leonard and Ohrman followed with two-hit games as Leonard also tallied a team-high two RBI. Ryan Wright went 2-for-5 with a home run and a triple while J.J. Ethel went 3-for-4 with an RBI and Cade Stallings recorded multiple hits with a 2-for-4 effort for the Cardinals.
With their 10th straight win, the Eagles improve to 29-15 overall while the Cardinals fall to 25-19 with the loss.
EMU starting pitcher Brian Valente (Macomb, Mich.-Eisenhower-Saginaw Valley State) proved strong once again in a mid-week start as he allowed just a first inning run on a home run by Wright. Aside from that, Valente scattered just five additional hits over five and one-third innings, but settled for the no-decision.
Corey Chaffins (New London, Ohio-New London) rectified a dismal start in his previous outing against Ball State after three and two-third innings in relief, tonight, to pick up his sixth victory of the season.
The Eagles had just one hit through the first three innings off Louisville starter Travis Tingle. They would add three more before his day was done after five sparkling frames. It wasn't until the eighth inning that the Eagles put together any sort of rally.
Trailing 1-0 in the eighth, EMU scored four runs on three hits, but the momentum was gained by a pair of Cardinal defensive miscues. After Ohrman reached with a single up the middle, Russell sacrificed and moved him over successfully, but the pitcher misplayed the bunt and couldn't get the out.
With runners at first and second, Magsig then laid down a sacrifice bunt, and again the Cardinals misplayed it. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Louisville decided to go to the pen and bring in Andy Flett. It didn't work.
The first hitter he faced, Leonard, hit one to the gap in left center field and it hopped the fence for a two-run ground-rule double to give EMU a 2-1 lead. The next batter, Tucker Rubino (Scottsdale, Ariz.-Horizon-Glendale C.C.), then poured salt on the wound as he singled to right to bring in Magsig. Sam Ott (Canton, Mich.-Salem) added one for good measure, a big one as it would turn out, by lifting a sacrifice fly to right field to bring home Leonard to make it 4-1.
The Cardinals would get one run closer in the eighth as Stewart Ijames led off with a double to center and then came around to score on Ethel's RBI single to cut the deficit to 4-2. Chaffins then rebounded to strike out the side swinging, ending the inning without further damage.
In the ninth, Chaffins walked the leadoff man, Adam Engel, to get things started. Engel then stole second to quickly get into scoring position. The next batter, Drew Haynes, advanced him to third before Wright tripled to right center to make it 4-3.
Then with the tying run on third and two strikes and two outs on the batter, Ijames, one the Cardinals' top hitters, scorched a 1-2 pitch by Chaffins down the first base line, but Klein had him positioned perfectly. The defensive substitute, inserted in the bottom of the eighth inning, saved the game for the Eagles and ended a very long travel day on a very happy note.
The team improves its record to 6-0 in games that Valente starts. Louisville's Sturgeon falls to 0-1 with the loss.
Both teams will rest up fast as a quick turnaround awaits them for noon start Wednesday, May 4, in the two-game series finale.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (EMUEagles.com) – First baseman Kyle Klein's (Grand Rapids, Mich.-West Catholic) game-saving stop and toss to first for the final out sealed a dramatic comeback victory on the road for the Eastern Michigan University baseball team as it knocked off host Louisville University, 4-3, in the first of a two-game non-conference set at Jim Patterson Stadium, Tuesday evening, May 3.
A more than five-and-a-half-hour bus ride down to Louisville didn't faze the Eagles as they made a long day a sweet one, boosting their regular season resume with their 18th road win of the year.
Errors plagued the Cardinals in a four-run EMU eighth inning. After a Brent Ohrman (Adrian, Mich.-Adrian) single led off the frame, Head Coach Jay Alexander called for back-to-back sacrifice bunts to move the runner and then runners into scoring position, but not an out was made as back-to-back errors were committed to load the bases with still no one out.
Senior Zack Leonard (Canton, Ohio-McKinley), who recently became the EMU overall hit king and doubles leader, smacked a ground-rule double to left center field to score Ohrman and Daniel Russell (Grandville, Mich.-Grandville) to give the Eagles a 2-1 lead, one they would not relinquish.
Ben Magsig (Okemos, Mich.-Okemos-Lansing C.C.) finished the 3-for-4 with a run scored for the Eagles. Leonard and Ohrman followed with two-hit games as Leonard also tallied a team-high two RBI. Ryan Wright went 2-for-5 with a home run and a triple while J.J. Ethel went 3-for-4 with an RBI and Cade Stallings recorded multiple hits with a 2-for-4 effort for the Cardinals.
With their 10th straight win, the Eagles improve to 29-15 overall while the Cardinals fall to 25-19 with the loss.
EMU starting pitcher Brian Valente (Macomb, Mich.-Eisenhower-Saginaw Valley State) proved strong once again in a mid-week start as he allowed just a first inning run on a home run by Wright. Aside from that, Valente scattered just five additional hits over five and one-third innings, but settled for the no-decision.
Corey Chaffins (New London, Ohio-New London) rectified a dismal start in his previous outing against Ball State after three and two-third innings in relief, tonight, to pick up his sixth victory of the season.
The Eagles had just one hit through the first three innings off Louisville starter Travis Tingle. They would add three more before his day was done after five sparkling frames. It wasn't until the eighth inning that the Eagles put together any sort of rally.
Trailing 1-0 in the eighth, EMU scored four runs on three hits, but the momentum was gained by a pair of Cardinal defensive miscues. After Ohrman reached with a single up the middle, Russell sacrificed and moved him over successfully, but the pitcher misplayed the bunt and couldn't get the out.
With runners at first and second, Magsig then laid down a sacrifice bunt, and again the Cardinals misplayed it. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Louisville decided to go to the pen and bring in Andy Flett. It didn't work.
The first hitter he faced, Leonard, hit one to the gap in left center field and it hopped the fence for a two-run ground-rule double to give EMU a 2-1 lead. The next batter, Tucker Rubino (Scottsdale, Ariz.-Horizon-Glendale C.C.), then poured salt on the wound as he singled to right to bring in Magsig. Sam Ott (Canton, Mich.-Salem) added one for good measure, a big one as it would turn out, by lifting a sacrifice fly to right field to bring home Leonard to make it 4-1.
The Cardinals would get one run closer in the eighth as Stewart Ijames led off with a double to center and then came around to score on Ethel's RBI single to cut the deficit to 4-2. Chaffins then rebounded to strike out the side swinging, ending the inning without further damage.
In the ninth, Chaffins walked the leadoff man, Adam Engel, to get things started. Engel then stole second to quickly get into scoring position. The next batter, Drew Haynes, advanced him to third before Wright tripled to right center to make it 4-3.
Then with the tying run on third and two strikes and two outs on the batter, Ijames, one the Cardinals' top hitters, scorched a 1-2 pitch by Chaffins down the first base line, but Klein had him positioned perfectly. The defensive substitute, inserted in the bottom of the eighth inning, saved the game for the Eagles and ended a very long travel day on a very happy note.
The team improves its record to 6-0 in games that Valente starts. Louisville's Sturgeon falls to 0-1 with the loss.
Both teams will rest up fast as a quick turnaround awaits them for noon start Wednesday, May 4, in the two-game series finale.
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