Bats Carry Eagles Past Western Michigan

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Behind the strength of a season-high 16 hits, the Eastern Michigan University baseball team defeated Western Michigan University on Easter Sunday, April 5, at Oestrike Stadium. The win gives the Eagles their first Mid-American Conference series victory of the season and improves their overall record to 12-18 and 4-5 in the MAC. Western Michigan drops to 11-15 and 4-5 in conference play.

The Eagles scored 11 runs on 16 hits in the game, led by John Rubino's 4-for-6 day. Rubino drove in two runs and also scored twice for the Green and White. Mitchell McGeein (2-for-3), Jordan Peterson (2-for-4), Michael Mioduszewski (2-for-5), and Adam Dennison (2-for-3) each had multiple hit days at the plate. Peterson drove in three runs while McGeein and Mioduszewski each recorded two RBI. All nine starters reached base, with eight different Eagles scoring runs.

Kyle Huckaby picked up his second victory of the week in relief for the Eagles. Huckaby (2-1) pitched 1.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen giving up two hits. Junior Augie Gallardo made his fourth start on the hill, going 4.1 innings giving up seven runs on six hits with three strikeouts. Keegan Akin (2-2) was saddled with the loss for the Broncos, giving up seven runs in just 1.1 innings pitched. Sam Delaplane collected his sixth save of the season, pitching a hitless 2.1 innings with

Following a pair of infield pop outs to begin the game, a Kurt Hoekstra single and Brett Sunde walk put two runners on for right fielder Jared Kujawa. Kujawa sent a 2-0 pitch over the right field wall for his fourth home run of the season to give the Broncos an early 3-0 lead in the first inning.

Eastern answered in the bottom of the first, however, scoring two runs to cut the deficit down to one. Jordan Peterson delivered with a two-run bases loaded single to score Austin Wilson and Rubino to make the score 3-2. The Eagles loaded the bases once again on a Tony DiLeo single, but a strikeout and double play ended the threat.

The Green and White kept the bats rolling in the second inning, sending 11 batters to the plate and adding six runs on five hits to take an 8-3 advantage. After two one-out walks, three straight hits including a Rubino double, McGeein single, and Peterson single scored four runs. Mioduszewski and Dennison each added an RBI single in the inning as well for the Eagles.

Western Michigan cut into the Eagles lead in the top of the fifth, scoring four runs on four hits to bring the visitors within one, 8-7. An RBI triple off the bat of Beau Filkins and RBI single from Nick Vogelmeier scored the first two runs for the Broncos. Hoekstra's second homer of the season brought in the other two for WMU.

Wilson's suicide squeeze and Rubino's run scoring single into center field in the bottom of the fifth got two of the runs back for the Eagles to push the lead back out to three runs, 10-7.

Mioduszewski drilled an 0-1 pitch over the left center field wall to tack on another run for the Green and White in the sixth inning. The Dexter, Mich. native's second home run of the year put the Eagles up 11-7.

WMU took advantage of a pair of errors, two walks, and one hit by pitch in the top of the seventh to put three unearned runs on the board and cut the EMU lead down to one, 11-10. Delaplane came in for the fourth straight game to record the final out in the seventh via the strikeout, stranding the bases loaded for the Broncos.

Eastern threatened to answer in the bottom of the seventh, loading the bases with no outs. The Broncos got a 4-2-3 double play and a strikeout to work out of the jam, keeping it a one-run contest.

Delaplane worked the final 2.1 innings, not allowing a hit to preserve the one-run victory for the Eagles.

Eastern Michigan returns to the diamond Tuesday, April 7, when the Eagles make the short trip to Ann Arbor for a matchup with the University of Michigan. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Wilpon Complex.

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Team Stats

John Rubino

Mitchell McGeein

Jordan Peterson

Mike Mioduszewski

Players Mentioned

Sam Delaplane

Adam Dennison

Tony DiLeo

Augie Gallardo

Kyle Huckaby

Mitchell McGeein

Mike Mioduszewski

Jordan Peterson

John Rubino

Austin Wilson

Players Mentioned

Sam Delaplane

Adam Dennison

Tony DiLeo

Augie Gallardo

Kyle Huckaby

Mitchell McGeein

Mike Mioduszewski

Jordan Peterson

John Rubino

Austin Wilson

Eastern Michigan Athletics