Eastern Michigan Athletics
Sunday, February 25
Jackson, Miss.
11 a.m.
Eastern Michigan University
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Jackson State
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Eastern Michigan
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Jackson State
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Photo by: Brian Tietz
Eagles Notch First Win of Season at Jackson State
2/25/2018 3:19:00 PM | Baseball
EMU's offense had its fifth double-digit hitting effort of the season
JACKSON, Miss. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team notched its first win of the 2018 season with a 9-3 eight-inning victory over Jackson State Sunday afternoon, Feb. 25, at Braddy Field. In a game shortened one inning by rain, EMU (1-7) used a stout offensive and defensive showing to get the first win under interim head coach Eric Roof.
The offense, for the fifth time in the first eight games, notched double-figure hits, finishing with 12, including two-hit games from five different players. As he has all season, junior Max Schuemann (Portage, Mich.-Portage Northern) led the charge with two hits and two RBIs, including an inside the park home run, his third homer of the season. Sophomore Zachary Owings (Saline, Mich.-Saline) also had a two-hit, two-RBI day, including his first career triple, while redshirt freshman Jeff Timko (Rochester Hills, Mich.-Brother Rice) added two RBIs as well.
The pitching was equally solid, as two veterans combined to limit the Jackson State (3-2) offense to just three runs, while leaving nine on base. Senior Luke DeVenney (Des Moines, Iowa-Dowling Catholic) got the no-decision after going the first four innings, striking out a pair. In relief, fellow senior Justin McMurtrey (Redding, Calif.-Shasta (Butte C.C.)) got the win after going the final four without allowing a run, giving up just three hits and striking out three.
Eastern jumped ahead in the first inning, striking for three runs on two hits and three walks. Sophomore Drake Peggs (Knightstown, Ind.-Knightstown Community) led off with a double, and two walks later, the bases were loaded for Timko. He drove in the first with a sacrifice fly, and on an attempted throw to second, the ball sailed, allowing another runner to cross. With a man on second, junior Kolton Schenker (Augusta, Kan.-Augusta (Labette C.C.)) delivered an RBI two-bagger to put the Eagles ahead 3-0 in the first.
EMU added another in the second on a dynamic play from Schuemann. The shortstop laced the ball down the right field line and raced around the bags. When he reached third, the ball was just getting back into the infield, but he did not slow down. The throw from second to home was late, and Schuemann had himself an inside the park home run, his third homer of the season.
JSU got three on the board in the bottom of the third inning, tightening the tally to 4-3 after just two innings. Eastern kept the pressure on in the third, getting one back on a sacrifice fly from freshman Nate Jones (Battle Creek, Mich.-Lakeview) after a leadoff double from Timko.
The Eagles continued to pile on the runs in the fourth inning, getting two more on a two-RBI triple from Owings. A single and double placed runners on second and third with no outs, and Owings smoked one to the wall in right center, scoring the runners. DeVenney tossed his third scoreless frame in the bottom of the fourth to keep the four-run lead into the fifth.
Coming on in relief in the fifth, McMurtrey picked up where DeVenney left off going 1-2-3 with a K in the frame to maintain the steady lead. In the sixth, a pair of Tiger runners got to second and third with just one out, but McMurtrey got a strikeout and fly out to neutralize the threat and take it to the seventh.
EMU's stout pitching led to some insurance being tacked on in the seventh inning. Nate Jones led off with a single, and promptly stole second. One batter later, junior Cameron Cruz (Chandler, Ariz.-Hamilton (Mesa C.C.)) drove him in with a double to left field.
Later in the frame, with runners on the corners, Schuemann continued his assault of opposing pitching with a solid single through the left side to score the second run of the inning, and extend the Eastern lead to six, 9-3, into the stretch. McMurtrey continued to cruise in the bottom of the seventh with another three-up, three-down frame.
In the eighth and final inning, McMurtrey allowed the bases to load up with just one out, but like previous innings, he pitched out of it with a pop put, and a ground out to end the game with the six-run victory.
EMU returns to the south next weekend, March 2-4, for the Cox Diamond Invitational in Pensacola, Fla. The three-game neutral site event begins Friday, March 2, with a single game against the University of Southern Mississippi starting at 7 p.m.
The offense, for the fifth time in the first eight games, notched double-figure hits, finishing with 12, including two-hit games from five different players. As he has all season, junior Max Schuemann (Portage, Mich.-Portage Northern) led the charge with two hits and two RBIs, including an inside the park home run, his third homer of the season. Sophomore Zachary Owings (Saline, Mich.-Saline) also had a two-hit, two-RBI day, including his first career triple, while redshirt freshman Jeff Timko (Rochester Hills, Mich.-Brother Rice) added two RBIs as well.
The pitching was equally solid, as two veterans combined to limit the Jackson State (3-2) offense to just three runs, while leaving nine on base. Senior Luke DeVenney (Des Moines, Iowa-Dowling Catholic) got the no-decision after going the first four innings, striking out a pair. In relief, fellow senior Justin McMurtrey (Redding, Calif.-Shasta (Butte C.C.)) got the win after going the final four without allowing a run, giving up just three hits and striking out three.
Eastern jumped ahead in the first inning, striking for three runs on two hits and three walks. Sophomore Drake Peggs (Knightstown, Ind.-Knightstown Community) led off with a double, and two walks later, the bases were loaded for Timko. He drove in the first with a sacrifice fly, and on an attempted throw to second, the ball sailed, allowing another runner to cross. With a man on second, junior Kolton Schenker (Augusta, Kan.-Augusta (Labette C.C.)) delivered an RBI two-bagger to put the Eagles ahead 3-0 in the first.
EMU added another in the second on a dynamic play from Schuemann. The shortstop laced the ball down the right field line and raced around the bags. When he reached third, the ball was just getting back into the infield, but he did not slow down. The throw from second to home was late, and Schuemann had himself an inside the park home run, his third homer of the season.
JSU got three on the board in the bottom of the third inning, tightening the tally to 4-3 after just two innings. Eastern kept the pressure on in the third, getting one back on a sacrifice fly from freshman Nate Jones (Battle Creek, Mich.-Lakeview) after a leadoff double from Timko.
The Eagles continued to pile on the runs in the fourth inning, getting two more on a two-RBI triple from Owings. A single and double placed runners on second and third with no outs, and Owings smoked one to the wall in right center, scoring the runners. DeVenney tossed his third scoreless frame in the bottom of the fourth to keep the four-run lead into the fifth.
Coming on in relief in the fifth, McMurtrey picked up where DeVenney left off going 1-2-3 with a K in the frame to maintain the steady lead. In the sixth, a pair of Tiger runners got to second and third with just one out, but McMurtrey got a strikeout and fly out to neutralize the threat and take it to the seventh.
EMU's stout pitching led to some insurance being tacked on in the seventh inning. Nate Jones led off with a single, and promptly stole second. One batter later, junior Cameron Cruz (Chandler, Ariz.-Hamilton (Mesa C.C.)) drove him in with a double to left field.
Later in the frame, with runners on the corners, Schuemann continued his assault of opposing pitching with a solid single through the left side to score the second run of the inning, and extend the Eastern lead to six, 9-3, into the stretch. McMurtrey continued to cruise in the bottom of the seventh with another three-up, three-down frame.
In the eighth and final inning, McMurtrey allowed the bases to load up with just one out, but like previous innings, he pitched out of it with a pop put, and a ground out to end the game with the six-run victory.
EMU returns to the south next weekend, March 2-4, for the Cox Diamond Invitational in Pensacola, Fla. The three-game neutral site event begins Friday, March 2, with a single game against the University of Southern Mississippi starting at 7 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: McMurtrey, Justin (1-2)
L: S. Ross (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Peggs, Drake 2 ; Timko, Jeff 1 ; Schenker, Kolton 1 ; Cruz, Cameron 1
3B: Owings, Zachary 1
HR: Schuemann, Max 1
RBI: Schuemann, Max 2 ; Owings, Zachary 2 ; Timko, Jeff 2 ; Schenker, Kolton 1 ; Jones, Nate 1 ; Cruz, Cameron 1
SF: Timko, Jeff 1 ; Jones, Nate 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Peggs, Drake 2 ; Schuemann, Max 1 ; Owings, Zachary 1 ; Jones, Nick 1 ; Timko, Jeff 1 ; Jones, Nate 1 ; Cruz, Cameron 2
SB: Schuemann, Max 1 ; Timko, Jeff 1 ; Jones, Nate 1 ; Hager, Devin 1
HBP: Hager, Devin 1
Batting:
2B: J. Santana 1 ; U. Forbes 1
RBI: U. Forbes 1 ; T. Culpepper 1 ; J. Warner 1
SH: T. Culpepper 1
Base Running:
RUNS: J. Santana 1 ; D. Chumley 1 ; U. Forbes 1
SB: D. Chumley 1 ; T. Culpepper 1 ; J. Warner 2
CS: J. Crispin 1
HBP: D. Chumley 2
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
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