Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, April 28
Oestrike Stadium
3 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
16-23, 9-8
6
vs
1
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Western Michigan
17-18, 7-8
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3
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5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Western Michigan
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
6
2
Eastern Michigan
1
0
0
0
1
2
0
2
X
6
11
0
Photo by: EMU Athletics/Andrew Mascharka
Eagles Take Commanding 6-1 Decision over WMU
4/28/2018 6:46:00 PM | Baseball
Senior Luke DeVenney tossed his third-straight quality start
Postgame Audio of Roof and DeVenny.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team evened up the weekend series with a commanding 6-1 victory over Western Michigan University, Saturday afternoon, April 28 at Oestrike Stadium. The win put EMU (16-23, 9-8 MAC) back above .500 in conference play.
Senior Luke DeVenney (Des Moines, Iowa-Dowling Catholic) had another dazzling start, going seven strong innings only allowing one run on five hits and striking out seven, tying his career-high. He lowered his team-best ERA to 2.64, while simultaneously improving his MAC-only ERA to 1.53.
In relief, EMU got scoreless frames from junior Mitchell Sparks (Willis, Texas-Carmel (Ind.) (Iowa Lakes C.C.)) and freshman Thomas House (Okeana, Ohio-Ross) to keep the Broncos (17-18, 7-8 MAC) to just one run.
Offensively, Eastern produced 11 hits, led by a career-best three-hit day from freshman Nate Jones (Battle Creek, Mich.-Lakeview), who reached in all five plate appearances after drawing two walks as well. He also drove a run in and scored a run, all the while extending his hitting streak to 13 games.
Sophomore Devin Hager (Commerce Township, Mich.-Walled Lake Northern) added a two-hit day, including an RBI and two runs scored, while freshman Shane Easter (Kalamazoo, Mich.-Comstock) knocked in pair as well on a single.
Eastern jumped on WMU early, striking for a run in the bottom of the first. A lead off single, followed by an error, set up runners on second and third with no outs for sophomore Zachary Owings (Saline, Mich.-Saline). The sophomore grounded out, but was able to drive in the runner, making it 1-0 early on.
WMU had the immediate response in the top of the second, using a couple hits and a safety squeeze to tie the game up at one.
Both pitchers then went to work, keeping the game knotted at one into the fifth. DeVenney racked up six strikeouts in his first five innings, just one off of his career-best.
The Eagles grabbed the lead back in the bottom of the fifth with some clutch two-out hitting from Nate Jones. With a man on second, the freshman singled up the middle to score the runner, putting the Green and White back ahead, 2-1, into the sixth.
DeVenney notched his fourth-straight scoreless frame in the bottom of the sixth, including tallying his career-high tying seventh strikeout, to maintain the lead into the middle of the sixth.
EMU added onto the lead in the bottom of the sixth with two more runs. Freshman Eli Gora (Cincinnati, Ohio-Anderson) led off with a double, and came around to score one batter later on an RBI double from redshirt freshman Jeff Timko (Rochester Hills, Mich.-Brother Rice). Later in the frame, with runners on the corners, Hager executed a perfect safety squeeze bunt to score Timko, and extend the Eastern advantage to three, 4-1, into the final three frames.
DeVenney ended his day in the seventh after completing his fifth-straight scoreless inning, including stranding a runner on third for the second time, yielding the final two frames to the bullpen. Sparks pitched a quick eighth, including two strikeouts, to take it to the bottom of the eighth.
Eastern tacked on some insurance in the bottom of the eighth with a clutch two-out, two-RBI single from Easter, making it a 6-1 ball game into the ninth.
House came in to pitch the ninth, and was almost perfect, giving up just a hit, but striking out his final batter, to seal the five-run win.
The Eagles and Broncos will play the rubber match tomorrow afternoon, April 29, at Oestrike Stadium. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team evened up the weekend series with a commanding 6-1 victory over Western Michigan University, Saturday afternoon, April 28 at Oestrike Stadium. The win put EMU (16-23, 9-8 MAC) back above .500 in conference play.
Senior Luke DeVenney (Des Moines, Iowa-Dowling Catholic) had another dazzling start, going seven strong innings only allowing one run on five hits and striking out seven, tying his career-high. He lowered his team-best ERA to 2.64, while simultaneously improving his MAC-only ERA to 1.53.
In relief, EMU got scoreless frames from junior Mitchell Sparks (Willis, Texas-Carmel (Ind.) (Iowa Lakes C.C.)) and freshman Thomas House (Okeana, Ohio-Ross) to keep the Broncos (17-18, 7-8 MAC) to just one run.
Offensively, Eastern produced 11 hits, led by a career-best three-hit day from freshman Nate Jones (Battle Creek, Mich.-Lakeview), who reached in all five plate appearances after drawing two walks as well. He also drove a run in and scored a run, all the while extending his hitting streak to 13 games.
Sophomore Devin Hager (Commerce Township, Mich.-Walled Lake Northern) added a two-hit day, including an RBI and two runs scored, while freshman Shane Easter (Kalamazoo, Mich.-Comstock) knocked in pair as well on a single.
Eastern jumped on WMU early, striking for a run in the bottom of the first. A lead off single, followed by an error, set up runners on second and third with no outs for sophomore Zachary Owings (Saline, Mich.-Saline). The sophomore grounded out, but was able to drive in the runner, making it 1-0 early on.
WMU had the immediate response in the top of the second, using a couple hits and a safety squeeze to tie the game up at one.
Both pitchers then went to work, keeping the game knotted at one into the fifth. DeVenney racked up six strikeouts in his first five innings, just one off of his career-best.
The Eagles grabbed the lead back in the bottom of the fifth with some clutch two-out hitting from Nate Jones. With a man on second, the freshman singled up the middle to score the runner, putting the Green and White back ahead, 2-1, into the sixth.
DeVenney notched his fourth-straight scoreless frame in the bottom of the sixth, including tallying his career-high tying seventh strikeout, to maintain the lead into the middle of the sixth.
EMU added onto the lead in the bottom of the sixth with two more runs. Freshman Eli Gora (Cincinnati, Ohio-Anderson) led off with a double, and came around to score one batter later on an RBI double from redshirt freshman Jeff Timko (Rochester Hills, Mich.-Brother Rice). Later in the frame, with runners on the corners, Hager executed a perfect safety squeeze bunt to score Timko, and extend the Eastern advantage to three, 4-1, into the final three frames.
DeVenney ended his day in the seventh after completing his fifth-straight scoreless inning, including stranding a runner on third for the second time, yielding the final two frames to the bullpen. Sparks pitched a quick eighth, including two strikeouts, to take it to the bottom of the eighth.
Eastern tacked on some insurance in the bottom of the eighth with a clutch two-out, two-RBI single from Easter, making it a 6-1 ball game into the ninth.
House came in to pitch the ninth, and was almost perfect, giving up just a hit, but striking out his final batter, to seal the five-run win.
The Eagles and Broncos will play the rubber match tomorrow afternoon, April 29, at Oestrike Stadium. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: DeVenney, Luke (5-1)
L: MODRZYNSKI, Chris (2-3)
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Batting:
2B: DUNN, Blake 1
RBI: DEVINE, Drew 1
SH: DEVINE, Drew 1
Base Running:
RUNS: FORESTELL, Jesse 1
CS: STONE, Andrew 1
Batting:
2B: Gora, Eli 1 ; Timko, Jeff 1
RBI: Jones, Nate 1 ; Owings, Zachary 1 ; Timko, Jeff 1 ; Hager, Devin 1 ; Easter, Shane 2
SH: Hager, Devin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jones, Nate 1 ; Gora, Eli 1 ; Timko, Jeff 1 ; Sweigart, Joey 1 ; Hager, Devin 2
SB: Easter, Shane 1
CS: Schuemann, Max 1
HBP: Schuemann, Max 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
1
H
3
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF/RHP
/ Baseball
IF/OF
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
OF
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