Eastern Michigan Athletics
Sunday, April 1
Bowling Green, Ohio
1:05 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
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Photo by: Brian Tietz
Eagles Take Series at BGSU with 4-3 Victory
4/1/2018 5:00:00 PM | Baseball
EMU's bullpen led the way with 5.2 solid innings
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team won its first Mid-American Conference series of the season with a 4-3 victory over Bowling Green State University Sunday afternoon, April 1, at Steller Field. The series win was EMU's (8-17, 3-3 MAC) ninth straight series win over the Falcons (8-19, 3-3 MAC).
The Eagles' bullpen was lights out, as three pitchers combined to allow just one run in 5.2 innings. Getting the win was junior Mitchell Sparks (Willis, Texas-Carmel (Ind.) (Iowa Lakes C.C.)) after going 2.1 without yielding a hit. In the series, he finished with 4.1 scoreless innings with just one hit allowed and two strikeouts. It was Sparks' fourth win of the season.
After Sparks, House went two scoreless including a season-best tying four strikeouts. In the ninth, Hester locked up his second save of the season after allowing just one run and striking out two.
Offensively, EMU pounded out 11 hits, its second straight double-digit hitting performance. Eight-of-nine starters recorded a hit. Freshman Shane Easter (Kalamazoo, Mich.-Comstock) had the first two-hit day of his career, including his first collegiate RBI, on Easter Sunday. Meanwhile junior John Rensel Jr. (Tallmadge, Ohio-Tallmadge) tallied two-RBIs on a two-run double.
Eastern got off to a perfect start, as the first two batters reached on a single and hit by pitch. With two on, the three hitter, Rensel, doubled to left field, scoring both and giving EMU the early 2-0 lead. BGSU loaded the bases up in the bottom of the first, but could only get one in as the score stood at 2-1 after one.
After scoreless frames in the second and third, EMU got the lead back to two in the top half of the fourth. A walk and single put runners on the corners for Easter. The rookie drove in his first career runner on a safety squeeze bunt, putting the Eagles up 3-1. Like the first inning, the Falcons got one back right away, striking for a run on two hits, keeping it tight, 3-2, into the fifth.
The lead expanded back to two in the sixth inning as sophomore Zachary Owings (Saline, Mich.-Saline) knocked one in. After Easter reached with his second hit, he stole second setting the table for Owings. The sophomore singled up the middle for his second hit of the day, and the third two-run lead, 4-2. This time the two-run lead held as Sparks went three-up, three-down in the bottom of the sixth.
House then took over in the seventh and went to work with two scoreless innings of his own, including just one hit and four strikeouts, to maintain the 4-2 score into the bottom half of the ninth. In the ninth, BGSU got the tying run to second, but Hester locked down his second save of the season with a strikeout.
EMU returns to the field next Wednesday, April 4, when it heads up to East Lansing to take on Michigan State. First pitch against the Spartans is set for 3:05 p.m.
The Eagles' bullpen was lights out, as three pitchers combined to allow just one run in 5.2 innings. Getting the win was junior Mitchell Sparks (Willis, Texas-Carmel (Ind.) (Iowa Lakes C.C.)) after going 2.1 without yielding a hit. In the series, he finished with 4.1 scoreless innings with just one hit allowed and two strikeouts. It was Sparks' fourth win of the season.
After Sparks, House went two scoreless including a season-best tying four strikeouts. In the ninth, Hester locked up his second save of the season after allowing just one run and striking out two.
Offensively, EMU pounded out 11 hits, its second straight double-digit hitting performance. Eight-of-nine starters recorded a hit. Freshman Shane Easter (Kalamazoo, Mich.-Comstock) had the first two-hit day of his career, including his first collegiate RBI, on Easter Sunday. Meanwhile junior John Rensel Jr. (Tallmadge, Ohio-Tallmadge) tallied two-RBIs on a two-run double.
Eastern got off to a perfect start, as the first two batters reached on a single and hit by pitch. With two on, the three hitter, Rensel, doubled to left field, scoring both and giving EMU the early 2-0 lead. BGSU loaded the bases up in the bottom of the first, but could only get one in as the score stood at 2-1 after one.
After scoreless frames in the second and third, EMU got the lead back to two in the top half of the fourth. A walk and single put runners on the corners for Easter. The rookie drove in his first career runner on a safety squeeze bunt, putting the Eagles up 3-1. Like the first inning, the Falcons got one back right away, striking for a run on two hits, keeping it tight, 3-2, into the fifth.
The lead expanded back to two in the sixth inning as sophomore Zachary Owings (Saline, Mich.-Saline) knocked one in. After Easter reached with his second hit, he stole second setting the table for Owings. The sophomore singled up the middle for his second hit of the day, and the third two-run lead, 4-2. This time the two-run lead held as Sparks went three-up, three-down in the bottom of the sixth.
House then took over in the seventh and went to work with two scoreless innings of his own, including just one hit and four strikeouts, to maintain the 4-2 score into the bottom half of the ninth. In the ninth, BGSU got the tying run to second, but Hester locked down his second save of the season with a strikeout.
EMU returns to the field next Wednesday, April 4, when it heads up to East Lansing to take on Michigan State. First pitch against the Spartans is set for 3:05 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Sparks, Mitchell (4-1)
L: ANDERSON, Tyler (2-5)
S: Hester, Caleb (2)
Batting:
2B: Rensel Jr., John 1 ; Schenker, Kolton 1 ; Jones, Nate 1
RBI: Owings, Zachary 1 ; Rensel Jr., John 2 ; Easter, Shane 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Owings, Zachary 1 ; Schuemann, Max 1 ; Kauffman, Jared 1 ; Easter, Shane 1
SB: Owings, Zachary 1 ; Timko, Jeff 1 ; Kauffman, Jared 1 ; Easter, Shane 1
HBP: Schuemann, Max 1
Batting:
2B: MINORIK, Riley 1 ; NEIBAUER, Nick 1
RBI: WILSON, Jake 1 ; MINORIK, Riley 1
Base Running:
RUNS: WILSON, Jake 1 ; DOHANOS, Dylan 1 ; NEIBAUER, Nick 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
5
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RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
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2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
IF/OF
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