Eagles Complete Third Straight Sweep of Broncos in 7-4 Win

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team completed a three-game sweep of Western Michigan University for a third consecutive season Sunday, April 21, at Oestrike Stadium by a score of 7-4. The Eagles (18-18; 8-7 MAC) improved their overall record to .500 for the first time this season and own a winning record in Mid-American Conference play for the first time as well.

EMU took a 4-3 lead into the seventh inning, but the Broncos (12-25; 5-10 MAC) tied the game on an Andrew Sohn RBI groundout. An eighth inning which consisted of three runs and three EMU doubles broke the tie and put the Eagles ahead by three headed into the ninth.

Reliever Krisitian Calibuso (1-0) pitched scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth to pick up his first win of the year. The victory was also his first since defeating Northern Illinois University in the 2011 MAC Tournament, May 27.

The Eagles have now beaten the Broncos 11 straight times, with WMU's last victory coming April 23, 2010, 5-3.

For a second straight game, John Rubino (2-for-5) was responsible for the game winning RBI. His sixth double of the 2013 campaign in the eighth inning plated Marquise Gill, who was also red hot at the dish with a 3-for-4 outing. Gill had a double and two RBI in the contest.

Sam Ott (1-for-4) and Adam Sonabend (1-for-4) also doubled in EMU's three-run eighth. Ott's two-bagger was his team-best 16th of the year. The redshirt junior extended his on-base streak to 12 games. Sonabend's double was his eighth of the year.

Also tallying an extra base hit on the day was Jamie Simpson (1-for-3), who now has seven to his credit this season.

Paul Schaak started on the mound for the Eagles and pitched 5.1 innings and gave up three runs on five hits with a walk and a trio of punchouts. Joe Battistelli gave up a run in 1.1 innings of work, while Ben Dartnell struck out the only batter he faced.

A trio of Broncos' hitters registered multi-hit games including Vinnie Booker (2-for-4) who had an RBI and scored a run. Hunter Prince (2-for-3) and Caleb Caton (2-for-4) were the other WMU batters with two hits.

After starting off the day strong, Western Michigan starter Mike Moyer ran into trouble in the sixth inning and was pulled for eventual losing pitcher Derek Schneider (1-1). Moyer pitched five-plus innings while giving up four runs on seven hits. Schneider tosses 2.2 innings and allowed three runs on four knocks.

Western Michigan opened the scoring with a run in the third. Caton roped a one-out double down the left-field line and a Booker bloop single brought him around to score. Schaak struck out Sohn to end the inning and keep it at a 1-0 game.

Dae Bowden got the third inning started off by beating out a bunt to the pitcher for an infield single. Daniel Russell and Ott each drew walks to load the bases. Lee Longo was unable to pull the trigger on a 1-2 fastball and Moyer got out of the jam with a strikeout.

Gill came up with a big two-out hit in the fourth to tie the game at one. Simpson reached base after being hit and a Bowden single moved him over to third. Gill's sharp single back up the middle scored Simpson. EMU loaded the bases again with two out, but Rubino hit a routine grounder to Sohn at short, who stepped on second for the force.

The Broncos looked poised to regain the lead in the fifth as Booker laid down a bunt single to load the bases with one out. Schaak nailed Theo Piccirilli with a pitch and the Broncos did indeed take the lead, 2-1. The EMU lefty then battled Sohn in an eight-pitch at-bat and got a called third strike for the second out. Jared Kujawa filed out for the final out and the side was retired with just the single run scored.

A Patrick Duncan RBI single down the left-field line with one down in the sixth expanded the WMU lead to a pair, 3-1. Battistelli gave up the hit to Duncan, but the run was charged to Schaak, who allowed the run-scorer Prince to reach base.

Simpson started off the home half of the sixth by doubling off the wall in left. Bowden then reached base on a fielder's choice to put runners on the corners. Gill registered his second RBI of the contest with a double down the left-field line. Later in the frame, Rubino hit an RBI single to shortstop and reached second on a throwing error. That miscue allowed Bowden to score from second and gave the Eagles their first lead of the afternoon, 4-3.

The lead did not last long as the Broncos scored a run in the seventh to tie the game, 4-4. Sohn got credit for the RBI on a groundout which scored Booker from third.

In the eighth, Gill notched his third hit of the game with one down. Then with two out, Rubino sent a fly ball past a diving Duncan in left field. Rubino's double scored Gill from first base and put the Green and White back in front, 5-4. Rubino did not have to wait on second for long as Ott deposited an RBI double of his own into centerfield to make it a 6-4 contest. A third two-bagger came off the bat of Sonabend, which scored Ott and gave the Eagles a three-run cushion headed into the final inning.

Calibuso delivered a strong ninth inning on the hill, striking out the first two batters he faced and ending the game on a lineout to centerfield.

The Eagles host the University of Michigan Tuesday, April 23, beginning at 6 p.m. The suspended game from Wednesday, April 17, will be resumed in the top of the third inning with EMU ahead, 4-1. Following the conclusion of that game, the two squads will play a seven-inning game.

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Team Stats

Marquise Gill

John Rubino

Dae Bowden

Daniel Russell

Eastern Michigan Athletics