Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, May 17
Toledo, Ohio
1 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
19-34, 6-21
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Toledo
22-32, 11-16
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Eastern Michigan
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Toledo
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Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
Eagles Victorious, 5-2, in Extra-Inning Thriller to End the 2014 Season
5/17/2014 4:17:00 PM | Baseball
EMU takes the rubber match over Toledo to claim the season's final MAC series
TOLEDO, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – In the final game of the 2014 season, the Eastern Michigan University baseball team used extra innings to defeat the University of Toledo Rockets, 5-2, Saturday afternoon, May 17, at Scott Park. The Eagles (19-34, 6-21 MAC) scored three runs in the 10th to secure the Mid-American Conference series and eliminate the Rockets (22-32, 11-16) from advancing to the 2014 MAC Tournament.
EMU pitching was solid throughout the contest as freshman Tyler Russell started the contest, going a career-long 7.1 innings to tie the longest outing of the year out of any Eagle pitcher. The Murrieta, Calif. native allowed just two runs on seven hits while striking out three. Devon Bronson got a big out in the eighth inning, and senior Zane Birchler (1-0) ended his career by tossing the final two innings to earn the victory. Birchler allowed just one hit and one walk in his scoreless outing, picking up the first victory as an Eagle in his last outing donning the Green and White.
The EMU bats tallied eight runs, while the defense was perfect in the field for the second time in this series. Ty Gilmore and John Montgomery paced the Eagles with two hits apiece, while Adam Sonabend knocked in a team-high two RBI. Sonabend, along with Lee Longo and Sam Ott, ended their EMU careers by smacking a base hit in their final game.
Ryan Callahan went 3-for-5 with 2 RBI, including a solo home run in the sixth inning. Dan Zuchowski and John Martillotta also added two hits, while Caleb Schillace lasted nine innings on the mound. Martillotta (1-1) left his position in the field to go on the mound for the 10th inning, but picked up the loss as all three runs were charged to him.
For the second consecutive game, the Eagles struck first with a run in the opening inning. Back-to-back singles by Rubino and Longo set things up for Sonabend, the cleanup hitter. In the final game of his EMU career, the senior smacked a base knock opposite field to plate Rubino for the early 1-0 advantage.
With Russell keeping Toledo off the scoreboard, Eastern added another run in the top of the fourth. Gilmore began the inning with a base hit, and the third baseman scampered into scoring position with a stolen base. A groundout by Dennison advanced his teammate 90 feet before Montgomery lined a shot up the middle that brought Gilmore across the dish. In the bottom half of the inning, Toledo threatened by loading the bases, but Russell forced a popup behind the plate to get out of the inning unscathed.
UT cut the EMU lead in half as Russell's shutout bid came to an end in the bottom of the sixth. With one out, Callahan blasted a deep fly to left field that easily cleared the fence for the Rockets' second home run of the series, making it a 2-1 ballgame through the first two-thirds of the contest.
Two innings later, Toledo tied the game as a leadoff walk and a single to right put runners on the corner with one out. At that point, Russell exited and was relieved by Ryan Lavoie. The junior right-hander entered out of the bullpen in hopes of getting the EMU starter out of the jam. However, Callahan proved to be a thorn in the Eagles' side with a single down the left field line just past the outstretched glove of Gilmore, scoring a Rocket to knot the game at 2-2.
After Birchler prevented UT from scoring in the ninth, the game was sent into extra innings where the Eagles re-gained the lead. Montgomery singled for the second time in the game to start the inning. In order to get more speed on the base path, Head Coach Jay Alexander decided to go with Friday's starting pitcher, Sterling Sharp, as a pinch-runner. The decision eventually paid off; Gill was plunked as he attempted a sacrifice bunt, and Wilson placed a perfect bunt single to load the bases. With Ott at the plate, a wild pitch brought in a speedy Sharp from third to give Eastern the lead. A passed ball allowed another Eagle to score, and Sonabend's patience led to a RBI walk, increasing the advantage to three.
In the bottom half of the inning, the hard-throwing senior retired the Rockets in order to secure the first win of his career and give Eastern the series in the final game of the season.
The close of the 2014 season brings an end to the careers of eight seniors: Zane Birchler, Dae Bowden, Kristian Calibuso, Lee Longo, Sam Ott, Paul Schaak, Adam Sonabend and Steve Weber. The EMU baseball senior class helped transform the Eagles in their time on campus. During their tenure at EMU, the team posted 107 victories, including three wins over ranked opponents. The seniors led the Eagles over the past four seasons, starting their careers with a 37-22 record in 2011 when the Green and White reached the MAC Tournament semifinals for the third consecutive season.
EMU pitching was solid throughout the contest as freshman Tyler Russell started the contest, going a career-long 7.1 innings to tie the longest outing of the year out of any Eagle pitcher. The Murrieta, Calif. native allowed just two runs on seven hits while striking out three. Devon Bronson got a big out in the eighth inning, and senior Zane Birchler (1-0) ended his career by tossing the final two innings to earn the victory. Birchler allowed just one hit and one walk in his scoreless outing, picking up the first victory as an Eagle in his last outing donning the Green and White.
The EMU bats tallied eight runs, while the defense was perfect in the field for the second time in this series. Ty Gilmore and John Montgomery paced the Eagles with two hits apiece, while Adam Sonabend knocked in a team-high two RBI. Sonabend, along with Lee Longo and Sam Ott, ended their EMU careers by smacking a base hit in their final game.
Ryan Callahan went 3-for-5 with 2 RBI, including a solo home run in the sixth inning. Dan Zuchowski and John Martillotta also added two hits, while Caleb Schillace lasted nine innings on the mound. Martillotta (1-1) left his position in the field to go on the mound for the 10th inning, but picked up the loss as all three runs were charged to him.
For the second consecutive game, the Eagles struck first with a run in the opening inning. Back-to-back singles by Rubino and Longo set things up for Sonabend, the cleanup hitter. In the final game of his EMU career, the senior smacked a base knock opposite field to plate Rubino for the early 1-0 advantage.
With Russell keeping Toledo off the scoreboard, Eastern added another run in the top of the fourth. Gilmore began the inning with a base hit, and the third baseman scampered into scoring position with a stolen base. A groundout by Dennison advanced his teammate 90 feet before Montgomery lined a shot up the middle that brought Gilmore across the dish. In the bottom half of the inning, Toledo threatened by loading the bases, but Russell forced a popup behind the plate to get out of the inning unscathed.
UT cut the EMU lead in half as Russell's shutout bid came to an end in the bottom of the sixth. With one out, Callahan blasted a deep fly to left field that easily cleared the fence for the Rockets' second home run of the series, making it a 2-1 ballgame through the first two-thirds of the contest.
Two innings later, Toledo tied the game as a leadoff walk and a single to right put runners on the corner with one out. At that point, Russell exited and was relieved by Ryan Lavoie. The junior right-hander entered out of the bullpen in hopes of getting the EMU starter out of the jam. However, Callahan proved to be a thorn in the Eagles' side with a single down the left field line just past the outstretched glove of Gilmore, scoring a Rocket to knot the game at 2-2.
After Birchler prevented UT from scoring in the ninth, the game was sent into extra innings where the Eagles re-gained the lead. Montgomery singled for the second time in the game to start the inning. In order to get more speed on the base path, Head Coach Jay Alexander decided to go with Friday's starting pitcher, Sterling Sharp, as a pinch-runner. The decision eventually paid off; Gill was plunked as he attempted a sacrifice bunt, and Wilson placed a perfect bunt single to load the bases. With Ott at the plate, a wild pitch brought in a speedy Sharp from third to give Eastern the lead. A passed ball allowed another Eagle to score, and Sonabend's patience led to a RBI walk, increasing the advantage to three.
In the bottom half of the inning, the hard-throwing senior retired the Rockets in order to secure the first win of his career and give Eastern the series in the final game of the season.
The close of the 2014 season brings an end to the careers of eight seniors: Zane Birchler, Dae Bowden, Kristian Calibuso, Lee Longo, Sam Ott, Paul Schaak, Adam Sonabend and Steve Weber. The EMU baseball senior class helped transform the Eagles in their time on campus. During their tenure at EMU, the team posted 107 victories, including three wins over ranked opponents. The seniors led the Eagles over the past four seasons, starting their careers with a 37-22 record in 2011 when the Green and White reached the MAC Tournament semifinals for the third consecutive season.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Birchler, Zane (1-0)
L: MARTILLOTTA (1-1)
Batting:
RBI: Sonabend, Adam 2 ; Montgomery, John 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Rubino, John 1 ; Gilmore, Ty 1 ; Sharp, Sterling 1 ; Gill, Marquise 1 ; Wilson, Austin 1
SB: Rubino, John 1 ; Gilmore, Ty 1
CS: Gilmore, Ty 1
HBP: Gill, Marquise 1
Batting:
HR: CALLAHAN 1
RBI: CALLAHAN 2
SH: TANSEL 1
Base Running:
RUNS: GROGG 1 ; CALLAHAN 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
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