Baseball Ramps Up Offense for 10-9 Victory Over Butler

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. (EMUEagles.com) — The Eastern Michigan University baseball team scored eight runs through the first three innings and held off a feisty Butler University squad for a 10-9 win Sunday, March 17. The Eagles (9-10) finished the weekend with a 3-1 record and have now won six of their last seven contests.

Both teams put together innings with five runs, two runs and one run, but it was the Eagles' extra tally in the seventh inning that put them over the top. After scuffling against the Bulldogs (7-10) Saturday, the EMU offense perked back up to amass 13 hits including three doubles.

Sunday's win was a true team effort as nine-of-10 EMU batters registered at least one hit. Jamie Simpson put together a 2-for-5 afternoon with a team-leading three RBI. Nick Rotola went 2-for-5 batting out of the No. 9 spot in Jay Alexander's batting order and came through with the game-winning RBI.

John Rubino went 2-for-5 and Sam Ott did the same for his 10th multi-hit game this season. Mitchell McGeein posted a 1-for-3 outing, while Daniel Russell scored two runs despite not recording a base hit.

The Green and White used six pitchers to get the job done Sunday, but it was Devon Bronson (1-1) who ultimately walked away with his first-career victory. Bronson pitched 2.2 innings in relief and gave up a pair of runs on four hits. Joe Battistelli tossed two innings to close out the game and earn his third save of the year.

Billy Laing (0-1) was no match for an Eastern Michigan offense which touched him up for eight earned runs and nine hits over three innings. The bulk of Butler's run production came from Jimmy Risi, who went 3-for-6 with four RBI, and Radley Haddad, who was 3-for-5 with a triple and a trio of RBI.

The Eagles jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning. Lee Longo, Adam Sonabend, Simpson and McGeein posted consecutive RBI knocks, with Simpson doubling and McGeein bringing in two runs with a single. Simpson struck again in the second inning with a two-RBI single to center to make a seven-run game, and Austin Wilson used a sacrifice fly in the third to bring Rubino home and put the Eagles up, 8-0.

BU crawled back into the game into the bottom of the third with five runs. The Bulldogs drew three consecutive one-out walks to load the bases and Risi brought them all home with a bases-clearing double to right-center field. In the fifth, Butler made it an 8-7 affair on Haddad's two-RBI triple.

An error allowed Russell to reach base to leadoff the sixth. That miscue came back to haunt the Bulldogs as Ott roped a double down the right-field line and scored Russell to put the Eagles back up by a pair, 9-7. An inning later, Rubino bunted his way on base, stole second and scored on Rotola's single to make it 10-7.

The Bulldogs chipped away with single runs in the seventh and eighth innings. In the ninth, Lucas Calderon doubled with one out and Pat Gelwicks walked the in the following at-bat. With two out, both runners advanced on a Battistelli wild pitch to put the tying and go-ahead runs into scoring position. Those runners would never reach home plate as Battistelli sent Risi down on strikes and EMU held on to the 10-9 victory.

The Eagles will open the 2013 home slate Wednesday, March 20, with a game against the University of Michigan. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m.

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Team Stats

Sam Ott

Jamie Simpson

John Rubino

Nick Rotola

Eastern Michigan Athletics