Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, March 29
Oestrike Stadium
3 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
10-14, 0-4
3
vs
5
Ohio
5-19, 2-2
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
R
H
E
Ohio
2
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
2
5
7
0
Eastern Michigan
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
3
8
4
Eagles Falter in 5-3 Extra Innings Tilt to Ohio
3/29/2013 7:37:00 PM | Baseball
EMU drops fourth straight MAC game
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – A 12-inning pitcher's duel ended in disappointment Friday, March 29, at Oestrike Stadium as the Eastern Michigan University baseball team fell, 5-3, to Ohio University in game one of a three-game series.
The game was tied, 3-3, in the top of the 12th when the Eagles (10-14; 0-4 MAC) surrendered the winning run to the Bobcats (5-19; 2-2 MAC) on a botched force play at first base as the result of a Ben Otto sacrifice bunt attempt. Otto ended up at third base, while Nate Squires, who was hit to leadoff the inning, scored from second base.
EMU's pitching tandem of Neil Butara and Joe Battistelli (1-3) was solid all game long, as Butara posted a career-high eight strikeouts in his seventh start of the year and Battistelli sent down the first 12 batters he faced in five innings of work. Butara allowed three earned runs and scattered six hits over seven innings. Battistelli, who had only thrown 10.1 innings total up until Friday's game, allowed only one hit and two runs (one earned) despite taking the loss.
Daniel Russell connected for his third triple of the year and 14 of his career to tie him for fifth-place all-time at EMU. The Grandville, Mich. native finished the day 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored. Jamie Simpson (1-for-4) hit an RBI single to short to tie the game in the eighth inning, while Adam Sonabend (0-for-5) and Austin Williams (1-for-2) produced the other two RBI for the Green and White.
Sean Kennedy (3-2) picked up the win in 2.2 innings of work over which he gave up just one hit. After Kennedy had to come out of the game due to an injury, Ryan Ferrell made the final out for his first save of the year.
Eight Bobcats had a hit Friday, with Alex Corna (1-for-2), Dan Schmidt (1-for-5), Tyler Wells (0-for-4) and J.R. Reynolds (1-for-5) chipping in with an RBI apiece. The Eagles struck out 10 Ohio hitters which is second-best so far this season.
The contest started ominously for the Eagles as Ohio struck for a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning. Wells used a sacrifice fly to plate the first run and Schmidt roped an RBI single to right center for the second tally.
EMU came back to tie the game at two with runs in the fifth and sixth inning. Lee Longo and Mitchell McGeein came up with back-to-back one-out singles and John Rubino was plunked to load the bases in the fifth. Williams sent a sacrifice fly to right and Longo trotted home.
In the sixth, Sam Ott sacrifice bunted Simpson and Russell to second and third, respectively. Sonabend then drove Russell in to score on an RBI groundout.
Ohio broke the tie in its next at bat and made it a 3-2 contest. Otto led things off with a single and eventually made home around on a Reynolds single to right-center.
The bottom of the eighth started off with Russell turning on a 3-2 offering from Brett Barber and sending it into the right-center gap for a three-base hit. Simpson then stepped up and poked an infield single to shortstop and tied the game, 3-3.
Longo sent a long fly ball toward the left-field wall in the bottom of the ninth, but it fell just feet short of a home run and went down as a routine fly out. In the 10th, Austin Wilson singled to lead off but was picked off by Kennedy.
Battistelli, who came on in the seventh inning, remained perfect until the 12th, when he hit Nate Squires in the side to put a man aboard. A wild pitch then sent Squires into scoring position.
Otto was the next batter to the dish. He laid down a sacrifice bunt on the third base side. Simpson, who was playing well inside of first base, came over to scoop up the ball and throw to a covering Marquise Gill at second base. However, Simpson threw wide of his target and the ball skipped to the fence in foul territory. That miscue allowed Squires to score and put Otto at third.
An RBI single by Corna scored Otto and provided Ohio an insurance marker. The Eagles went down in order in the bottom of the 12th and dropped a fourth-straight Mid-American Conference game.
Game two of this weekend series is slated for Saturday, March 30, at 3 p.m.
The game was tied, 3-3, in the top of the 12th when the Eagles (10-14; 0-4 MAC) surrendered the winning run to the Bobcats (5-19; 2-2 MAC) on a botched force play at first base as the result of a Ben Otto sacrifice bunt attempt. Otto ended up at third base, while Nate Squires, who was hit to leadoff the inning, scored from second base.
EMU's pitching tandem of Neil Butara and Joe Battistelli (1-3) was solid all game long, as Butara posted a career-high eight strikeouts in his seventh start of the year and Battistelli sent down the first 12 batters he faced in five innings of work. Butara allowed three earned runs and scattered six hits over seven innings. Battistelli, who had only thrown 10.1 innings total up until Friday's game, allowed only one hit and two runs (one earned) despite taking the loss.
Daniel Russell connected for his third triple of the year and 14 of his career to tie him for fifth-place all-time at EMU. The Grandville, Mich. native finished the day 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored. Jamie Simpson (1-for-4) hit an RBI single to short to tie the game in the eighth inning, while Adam Sonabend (0-for-5) and Austin Williams (1-for-2) produced the other two RBI for the Green and White.
Sean Kennedy (3-2) picked up the win in 2.2 innings of work over which he gave up just one hit. After Kennedy had to come out of the game due to an injury, Ryan Ferrell made the final out for his first save of the year.
Eight Bobcats had a hit Friday, with Alex Corna (1-for-2), Dan Schmidt (1-for-5), Tyler Wells (0-for-4) and J.R. Reynolds (1-for-5) chipping in with an RBI apiece. The Eagles struck out 10 Ohio hitters which is second-best so far this season.
The contest started ominously for the Eagles as Ohio struck for a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning. Wells used a sacrifice fly to plate the first run and Schmidt roped an RBI single to right center for the second tally.
EMU came back to tie the game at two with runs in the fifth and sixth inning. Lee Longo and Mitchell McGeein came up with back-to-back one-out singles and John Rubino was plunked to load the bases in the fifth. Williams sent a sacrifice fly to right and Longo trotted home.
In the sixth, Sam Ott sacrifice bunted Simpson and Russell to second and third, respectively. Sonabend then drove Russell in to score on an RBI groundout.
Ohio broke the tie in its next at bat and made it a 3-2 contest. Otto led things off with a single and eventually made home around on a Reynolds single to right-center.
The bottom of the eighth started off with Russell turning on a 3-2 offering from Brett Barber and sending it into the right-center gap for a three-base hit. Simpson then stepped up and poked an infield single to shortstop and tied the game, 3-3.
Longo sent a long fly ball toward the left-field wall in the bottom of the ninth, but it fell just feet short of a home run and went down as a routine fly out. In the 10th, Austin Wilson singled to lead off but was picked off by Kennedy.
Battistelli, who came on in the seventh inning, remained perfect until the 12th, when he hit Nate Squires in the side to put a man aboard. A wild pitch then sent Squires into scoring position.
Otto was the next batter to the dish. He laid down a sacrifice bunt on the third base side. Simpson, who was playing well inside of first base, came over to scoop up the ball and throw to a covering Marquise Gill at second base. However, Simpson threw wide of his target and the ball skipped to the fence in foul territory. That miscue allowed Squires to score and put Otto at third.
An RBI single by Corna scored Otto and provided Ohio an insurance marker. The Eagles went down in order in the bottom of the 12th and dropped a fourth-straight Mid-American Conference game.
Game two of this weekend series is slated for Saturday, March 30, at 3 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: KENNEDY, Sean (3-2)
L: Battistelli, Joe (1-3)
S: FERRELL, Ryan (1)
Batting:
RBI: REYNOLDS, J.R. 1 ; WELLS, Tyler 1 ; SCHMIDT, Dan 1 ; CORNA, Alex 1
SH: REYNOLDS, J.R. 1 ; OTTO, Ben 1 ; SQUIRES, Nick 1
SF: WELLS, Tyler 1
Base Running:
RUNS: GAERTNER, Cody 1 ; MADSEN, Jake 1 ; SQUIRES, Nate 1 ; OTTO, Ben 2
SB: SCHMIDT, Dan 1 ; SQUIRES, Nate 1
HBP: SQUIRES, Nate 1
PO: WHITE, Scott 1
Batting:
3B: Russell, Daniel 1
RBI: Simpson, Jamie 1 ; Sonabend, Adam 1 ; Williams, Austin 1
SH: Ott, Sam 1
SF: Williams, Austin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Russell, Daniel 2 ; Longo, Lee 1
HBP: Rubino, John 1
PO: Russell, Daniel 1 ; Wilson, Austin 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
lf/1b
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
1b/3b
AB
5
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
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