Eastern Michigan Athletics

Tuesday, February 28
Durham, N.C.
3:15 p.m.

Eastern Michigan University

1-5

8
at
9

Duke

5-5

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Eastern Michigan
2
6
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
8
12
2
Duke
0
2
1
0
1
0
1
0
4
9
12
2

Baseball Drops 9-8 Walk-Off Decision to Duke

2/28/2012 7:18:00 PM | Baseball

Eagles lose 8-0 lead to fall to 1-5 on the season

Box Score.

DURHAM, N.C. (EMUEagles.com)—
The Eastern Michigan University baseball team's eight-run offensive outburst fell short in a disappointing 9-8 walk-off loss to Duke University Tuesday, Feb. 28, at Jack Coombs Field. The Eagles led, 8-0, after two innings but were outdone by the Blue Devils' four-run ninth.
 
Eastern Michigan (1-5) took a 2-0 lead in the first inning and added six more runs in the second while sending 10 batters to the plate. Matt Hitt started the inning off with a homer down the left field line and Sam Ott notched a bases-loaded double.
 
The Blue Devils (5-5) began chipping away at their deficit with two runs in the bottom of the second and another in the third. Duke then added single runs in the fifth and seventh innings to make it an 8-5 game. After reliever Kristian Calibuso (0-1) worked his way out of trouble in the eighth inning, he was unable to do the same in the ninth, as David Perkins came through with a pinch-hit, walk-off double with the bases loaded.
 
After the Eagles' torrid start to the game, Blue Devils' pitching held the Eagles to just five base hits and no runs from the third to the ninth inning. David Putman (1-0) wound up receiving the win for the Duke after pitching two innings and striking out two batters.
 
Ott, along with Brent Ohrman and Lee Longo, extended his hitting streak to six games Tuesday, going 1-for-5 with three RBI. Ohrman had his best game of the season with a 3-for-4 performance including an RBI and a pair of runs scored. Longo went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a pair of walks. Daniel Russell also recorded a pair of stolen bases on the afternoon.
 
Tyler Vavra started on the mound for the Eagles, pitching three innings and allowing two runs while striking out two and giving up a pair of walks. Duke's starting pitcher Nick Piscotty was chased after one and two-thirds innings after being charged with eight runs (seven earned) and walking a pair of EMU batters.
 
For Duke, five players recorded multiple-hit games including Andy Perez, who went 3-for-5. Grant McCabe hit 2-for-3 with a pair of walks and two RBI.
 
The Eagles wasted little time getting on the scoreboard in the first inning, as Ohrman hit an RBI single to score Bo Kinder who led off the game with a double. Ohrman came around to score on a Longo groundout for a 2-0 EMU lead.
 
In his first-of-two plate appearances in the second inning, Tucker Rubino led off with a single before Hitt registered his first long ball of the season to increase the EMU edge to 4-0. John Rubino then crossed home plate on a Duke throwing error to make it 5-0. Finally, Ott's bases-clearing double plated Ohrman, Longo and Ben Magsig, and earned the Eagles an 8-0 lead.
 
Kremer then scored for Duke on a fielder's choice and McCabe tallied an RBI in the second, while Will Piwnica-Worms hit a solo blast in the third to pull the home team to within five, 8-3.
 
Eagles' reliever Jordan Glover worked himself into trouble in the seventh as he loaded the bases with nobody out. He minimized the damage by allowing just one run after inducing a double play off the bat of Andrew Istler and striking out Perez to end the inning with EMU still ahead, 8-5.
 
EMU's three-run cushion was put in jeopardy when Calibuso walked the eighth and ninth hitters in the Duke batting order to lead off the eighth inning. Calibuso quickly regrouped and recorded three straight outs with a fielder's choice, a pop up and a swinging strikeout, respectively.
 
Unfortunately, Calibuso was not as fortunate in the bottom of the ninth, as Duke scored four runs to earn the stunning 9-8 win. Calibuso struck out the first batter of the inning, but did not record an out thereafter as the Blue Devils managed four hits including Perkins' game-ending double.
 
The Eagles will stay in Durham to face North Carolina Central University Wednesday, Feb. 29. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m.  

Team Stats

Pitching:

W: Putman, D. (1-0)

L: Calibuso, Kristian (0-1)

Eastern Michigan LogoEastern Michigan

Batting:

2B: Kinder, Bo 1 ; Ott, Sam 1

HR: Hitt, Matt 1

RBI: Ohrman, Brent 1 ; Longo, Lee 1 ; Ott, Sam 3 ; Hitt, Matt 2

SH: Ohrman, Brent 1 ; Russell, Daniel 1

Base Running:

RUNS: Kinder, Bo 1 ; Ohrman, Brent 2 ; Magsig, Ben 1 ; Longo, Lee 1 ; Rubino, Tucker 1 ; Hitt, Matt 1 ; Rubino, John 1

SB: Russell, Daniel 2

CS: Rubino, Tucker 1

HBP: Hitt, Matt 1

PO: Ohrman, Brent 1

Duke LogoDuke

Batting:

2B: Kremer, J. 2 ; Betts, J. 1 ; Perkins, D. 1

HR: PiwnicaWorms 1

RBI: PiwnicaWorms 1 ; Betts, J. 1 ; McCabe, G. 2 ; Perkins, D. 3

Base Running:

RUNS: PiwnicaWorms 2 ; Kremer, J. 2 ; Betts, J. 1 ; D'Alessandro 1 ; Perez, A. 1 ; Stroman, M. 1 ; McCabe, G. 1

SB: Betts, J. 1

Game Leaders

AB
4
R
2
H
3
RBI
1
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Thank You from EMU Baseball!
Monday, December 01
Giving Tuesday 2025 - EMU Baseball
Monday, December 01
Giving Tuesday 2025 - Eastern Michigan Baseball
Monday, December 01
2026 Baseball Media Day Behind the Scenes
Saturday, November 22