Baseball Heads to Rochester for Midweek Clash at Oakland

April 10 at Oakland University
Date	April 10
Venue	Rochester, Mich \| Oakland Baseball Field
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Watch	N/A
Listen	N/A
Twitter	@EMU_Baseball \| @EMUAthletics

ROCHESTER, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University baseball team is set to make the short trek to Oakland University to play a midweek contest against the Golden Grizzlies, Wednesday, April 10, at the Oakland Baseball Field. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. A mere 53-mile journey, the matchup will be the second between the two schools in as many weeks, with Oakland besting Eastern, 14-8, in the first installment, April 3 at Oestrike Stadium.
   Make sure to follow the games via Twitter and live stats, at @EMU_Baseball, and EMUEagles.com.

SERIES WINNERS: Looking for its first series victory of the season, Eastern rose to the occasion in its rubber match game against Bowling Green State University, April 7, at Oestrike Stadium.
   A dominant performance throughout, the Eagles bested the Falcons, 4-0, to take two-of-three games from BGSU in the weekend series. The win also gives EMU its first Mid-American Conference series victory in 2019.

SHUTOUT PERFORMANCE: With its 4-0 victory over Bowling Green State University, April 7, Eastern posted its first shutout win since blanking Lawrence Tech University, 4-0, April 25, 2018, and first Mid-American Conference shutout since defeating Ball State University 1-0, April 6, 2018.

NINE STRAIGHT: With its series win over the Falcons, April 7, Eastern Michigan claimed its ninth consecutive series win over the Bowling Green State University, a streak that dates back to 2005.
   Eastern has dominated BGSU in their 177 all-time meetings, as the Eagles now hold a 103-74 edge over their Mid-American Conference rival.

GRAND GRANZOTTO: Sophomore left-hander Scott Granzotto continues to show why he is an emerging force for the Eagles in 2019, as he tossed a complete game for Eastern in its series opener win against Bowling Green State University, April 5.
   Allowing just one run, six hits, and one walk, while striking out eight Falcon hitters in his effort, Granzotto's wire-to-wire performance is the first complete game for Eastern since the 2017 season when Davis Feldman went this distance in a 9-1 victory over Central Michigan University in the MAC Tournament in Avon, Ohio, May 27. Granzotto became increasingly dominant throughout the contest, blanking BGSU in their final five frames, and delivering his three hardest pitches in his last three of the game. With the win, Granzotto picked up his team-leading third win of the 2019 season.

CRUZ CONTROL: Senior Cameron Cruz had a stellar week at the plate leading the EMU offense in its four games against Oakland, April 3, and Bowling Green, April 5-7. Cruz compiled a .538 batting average (7-for-13) during the four-game stretch, knocking two doubles and racking up six RBIs along the way.
   Cruz currently ranks sixth in the Mid-American Conference with 10 doubles, six behind Central Michigan's Zavier Warren, the conference leader .

20 STRONG: Although his team-high 14-game hitting streak came to an end at Miami, March 30, junior Zachary Owings has extended his on-base streak to 20 games after reaching base in all three games of Eastern's weekend series against Bowling Green State University, April 5-7.
   Owings has posted a .417 batting average (33-for-79), while pounding nine extra-base hits, and driving in 16 during the stretch, dating back to March 9, against Marshall.

MESMER-MEIS-ING: Freshman Justin Meis stole the show with a commanding pitching performance in Eastern's win over Bowling Green, April 7. Coming into the contest, Meis had not pitched more than five innings in an outing, reaching that mark three-times this season in games against NJIT, the University of Incarnate Word, and Northern Illinois University. In his series-clinching victory over Bowling Green, the talented right-hander went seven, holding an opponent scoreless for the first time in his collegiate career, and earning his first win as a member of the EMU baseball team.

COOKIN' SOMETHING NEW: Sophomore Holden Cook has been an important addition to the EMU bullpen in 2019. In his last five appearances, Cook has been tossed nine innings of near-perfect baseball for the Green and White. Allowing just one earned run, Cook has racked up nine strikeouts and held opposing offenses scoreless in four of his last five appearances.
   Most recently, Cook added a save to his resume, his first as an Eagle, when he tossed the last two frames of Eastern's series-clinching victory against Bowling Green, April 7. Inheriting a 3-0 lead in the eighth, Cook kept the Falcons off the board, earning a six-out save en route to EMU's 4-0 victory.

TRIPLE TRACKER: While the Eastern offense has been strong in many categories throughout the season, its three-bagging efforts are especially noteworthy, both individually and as a collective unit. EMU ranks 21st nationally in triples this season (fourth in MAC), and has two players ranked in the top-100 individually. Ranking third nationally is Zachary Owings, whose five triples leads the EMU offense and ranks second in the MAC. Jeff Timko, a redshirt sophomore, ranks 53rd nationally with three triples on the season, good for fourth in the league.

ALL TIME VS OAKLAND: When Eastern takes the field against Oakland University, April 10, it will do so against a familiar foe. Located just 53 miles from Ypsilanti, Eastern will trek to Oakland University for the 64rd all-time meeting between the two programs and the second meeting of the 2019 season. A one-sided series in favor of the Green and White, EMU holds a 46-17 record over the Golden Grizzlies.
   Most recently, the Eagles fell to Oakland, 14-8, in a midweek game played April 3, 2019, at Oestrike Stadium.

ON THE HORIZON: Following its midweek matchup with the Golden Grizzlies, EMU will travel to Muncie, Ind. for a three-game weekend MAC series against Ball State University, April 12-14. The series is slated to begin with a single game, Friday, April 12, at 3 p.m., with games to follow Saturday, April 13, at 1 p.m., and Sunday, April 14, at 1 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Holden Cook

Cameron Cruz

Davis Feldman

Scott Granzotto

Justin Meis

Zachary Owings

Jeff Timko

Eastern Michigan Athletics