Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, April 13
Athens, Ohio
6 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
12-19, 6-4
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Ohio
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Eastern Michigan
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Ohio
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Photo by: Steven King/Steve King Studios
Kauffman the Hero Again in Late-Inning Comeback Win over Ohio
4/13/2018 9:47:00 PM | Baseball
EMU tied the game in the ninth and won it in the tenth
ATHENS, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team staged a thrilling late-inning comeback in a 6-4 10-inning victory Friday evening, April 13, at Bob Wren Stadium. EMU (12-19, 6-4 MAC) trailed by one in the ninth, but got a run to send it to extras where freshman Jared Kauffman (Springboro, Ohio-Bishop Fenwick) had the clutch hit, a two-run double, to steal the win.
EMU's pitching staff got it done to set up the late-inning heroics, as junior Mitchell Sparks (Willis, Texas-Carmel (Ind.) (Iowa Lakes C.C.)) earned his sixth win of the season after pitching the final four innings without yielding a run on just two hits and two strikeouts. Senior Justin McMurtrey (Redding, Calif.-Shasta (Butte C.C.)) took a no decision after going the first six innings, including scoreless fifth and sixth frames, to keep the tally tight.
Offensively, EMU once again knocked out double-digit hits, notching 12 spread out among nine batters. Kauffman's only hit was the game winner after he entered as a defensive sub in the ninth inning. Leading the output was sophomore Nick Jones (Battle Creek, Mich.-Lakeview) finishing with two hits and two RBIs, including a double. Fellow sophomore Zachary Owings (Saline, Mich.-Saline) extended his hitting streak to eight in a two-hit day which included a double as well.
Ohio struck first in the bottom of the first, using a pair of hits and pair of errors to score two runs, making it 2-0 after one. EMU responded immediately in the top of the second with two runs of its own.
After a walk and single put two on, Nick Jones returned from his brief time out of the lineup with an injury by notching an RBI double to plate the first. The next batter, sophomore Devin Hager (Commerce Township, Mich.-Walled Lake Northern), then blooped an opposite field single to drive in the second run, tying the score at two. Ohio grabbed the lead back in the bottom of the second on a solo home run, making it 3-2 after two.
Following a scoreless third, Ohio smacked another solo home run in the fourth to take a two-run lead into the middle innings. McMurtrey tossed a scoreless fifth inning, and EMU got a run back in the top of the sixth. Owings led off the frame with a single, and proceeded to steal second on a failed pickoff attempt. A groundout advanced him to third, and freshman Eli Gora (Cincinnati, Ohio-Anderson) drove him in on a sacrifice fly, cutting the deficit to one, 4-3.
McMurtrey then tossed a 1-2-3 sixth, followed by two scoreless innings pitched from Sparks in the seventh and eighth innings, to keep it a one-run game into the ninth.
There, EMU stormed back to tie the game. Gora led off with a double, and one batter later, Nick Jones drove in his second runner of the night on a single to left, tying the contest at four. Sparks came back with a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth, including two strikeouts, to send it to extra innings.
EMU took full advantage of the strong late inning pitching from Sparks, as they completed the comeback in the top of the 10th. With two outs, Owings doubled, followed by an infield single from redshirt freshman Jeff Timko (Rochester Hills, MIch.-Brother Rice) to bring up Kauffman. For the second straight week, the freshman had the clutch hit, doubling in both runs, and giving EMU the 6-4 lead into the bottom of the 10th.
Sparks stayed in to finish the job in the bottom of the 10th, and sealed the deal with another three-up, three-down inning, locking up his sixth win of the season.
EMU has a quick turnaround as they return to the diamond tomorrow morning, April 14, for a doubleheader against Ohio. First pitch from Bob Wren Stadium is set for 9 a.m.
??: @KauffmanJared's two-RBI double has us up 6-4 in the top of the 10th!!#EMUBats #LeaveNoDoubt pic.twitter.com/PoDTnzcFJp
— EMU Baseball (@EMU_Baseball) April 14, 2018
EMU's pitching staff got it done to set up the late-inning heroics, as junior Mitchell Sparks (Willis, Texas-Carmel (Ind.) (Iowa Lakes C.C.)) earned his sixth win of the season after pitching the final four innings without yielding a run on just two hits and two strikeouts. Senior Justin McMurtrey (Redding, Calif.-Shasta (Butte C.C.)) took a no decision after going the first six innings, including scoreless fifth and sixth frames, to keep the tally tight.
Offensively, EMU once again knocked out double-digit hits, notching 12 spread out among nine batters. Kauffman's only hit was the game winner after he entered as a defensive sub in the ninth inning. Leading the output was sophomore Nick Jones (Battle Creek, Mich.-Lakeview) finishing with two hits and two RBIs, including a double. Fellow sophomore Zachary Owings (Saline, Mich.-Saline) extended his hitting streak to eight in a two-hit day which included a double as well.
Ohio struck first in the bottom of the first, using a pair of hits and pair of errors to score two runs, making it 2-0 after one. EMU responded immediately in the top of the second with two runs of its own.
After a walk and single put two on, Nick Jones returned from his brief time out of the lineup with an injury by notching an RBI double to plate the first. The next batter, sophomore Devin Hager (Commerce Township, Mich.-Walled Lake Northern), then blooped an opposite field single to drive in the second run, tying the score at two. Ohio grabbed the lead back in the bottom of the second on a solo home run, making it 3-2 after two.
Following a scoreless third, Ohio smacked another solo home run in the fourth to take a two-run lead into the middle innings. McMurtrey tossed a scoreless fifth inning, and EMU got a run back in the top of the sixth. Owings led off the frame with a single, and proceeded to steal second on a failed pickoff attempt. A groundout advanced him to third, and freshman Eli Gora (Cincinnati, Ohio-Anderson) drove him in on a sacrifice fly, cutting the deficit to one, 4-3.
McMurtrey then tossed a 1-2-3 sixth, followed by two scoreless innings pitched from Sparks in the seventh and eighth innings, to keep it a one-run game into the ninth.
There, EMU stormed back to tie the game. Gora led off with a double, and one batter later, Nick Jones drove in his second runner of the night on a single to left, tying the contest at four. Sparks came back with a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth, including two strikeouts, to send it to extra innings.
EMU took full advantage of the strong late inning pitching from Sparks, as they completed the comeback in the top of the 10th. With two outs, Owings doubled, followed by an infield single from redshirt freshman Jeff Timko (Rochester Hills, MIch.-Brother Rice) to bring up Kauffman. For the second straight week, the freshman had the clutch hit, doubling in both runs, and giving EMU the 6-4 lead into the bottom of the 10th.
Sparks stayed in to finish the job in the bottom of the 10th, and sealed the deal with another three-up, three-down inning, locking up his sixth win of the season.
EMU has a quick turnaround as they return to the diamond tomorrow morning, April 14, for a doubleheader against Ohio. First pitch from Bob Wren Stadium is set for 9 a.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Sparks, Mitchell (6-1)
L: BLESSING, Cory (2-3)
Batting:
2B: Owings, Zachary 1 ; Gora, Eli 1 ; Kauffman, Jared 1 ; Jones, Nick 1 ; Easter, Shane 1
RBI: Gora, Eli 1 ; Kauffman, Jared 2 ; Jones, Nick 2 ; Hager, Devin 1
SF: Gora, Eli 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Owings, Zachary 2 ; Timko, Jeff 1 ; Gora, Eli 1 ; Sweigart, Joey 1 ; Schenker, Kolton 1
SB: Owings, Zachary 1
CS: Jones, Nate 1 ; Schenker, Kolton 1
Batting:
2B: GARCIA,Devon 1 ; PIECHNICK, Tanner 1
HR: ROTT, Rudy 1 ; MCCAULEY,Dan 1
RBI: ROTT, Rudy 2 ; MCCAULEY,Dan 1
SH: GARCIA,Devon 1
Base Running:
RUNS: GARCIA,Devon 1 ; KLEIN, Michael 1 ; ROTT, Rudy 1 ; MCCAULEY,Dan 1
PO: SARGENT, Ryan 1
Game Leaders
1b/3b
AB
5
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
3b/c
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
2
AB
5
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
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IF
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RHP
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/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
OF
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