Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, March 7
Cincinnati Ohio
12 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
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Cincinnati
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9
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H
E
Eastern Michigan
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0
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Cincinnati
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Inconsistencies Plague Baseball in Saturday Doubleheader
3/7/2020 6:38:00 PM | Baseball
EMU fell in both games at Cincinnati
CINCINNATI, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team fought valiantly, but ultimately dropped both games of its doubleheader with the University of Cincinnati today, March 7, at Marge Schott Stadium.
Eastern (1-12) had moments of success, both offensively and defensively, throughout the day, but could not find consistent rhythm in either game.
The two teams will square off tomorrow, March 8, in the final installment of the three-game set. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. in the Queen City.
Game One: UC 8, EMU 1
Eastern Michigan was unable to respond to the early lead built by Cincinnati in the first game, not finding an offensive spark until the ninth inning.
The Bearcats jumped to a 3-0 lead in the second inning, and maintained the three-run lead until the fourth inning, when the Bearcats would double their lead to 6-0. Cincy finished building their lead before the Eagles could get a runner on base, scoring two runs in the bottom of the fifth to take the 8-0 lead.
Eastern struggled offensively, failing to get a runner on base until the sixth inning. Junior Jared Kauffman (Springboro, Ohio-Bishop Fenwick) drew the walk, but the Green and White were unable to bring him around to score. EMU added another baserunner in the eighth as fellow junior Christian Bault (Maineville, Ohio-Archbishop Moeller (Lincoln Trail)) reached on a fielding error, but once again, Eastern left a runner on base.
EMU prevented the shutout in the top of the ninth, beginning with a walk that was drawn by Jeff Timko (Rochester Hills, Mich.-Brother Rice). Sophomore Taylor Hopkins (Mason, Ohio-Archbishop Moeller) followed with a single to the right side, putting Timko in scoring position. With two outs, junior Daniel Warkentin (Leamington, Ontario-Leamington District (Parkland)) doubled down the left field line to score Timko for his seventh RBI of the season.
Junior Luke McGuire (Shelby Twp., Mich.-Stevenson) tossed back-to-back 1-2-3 innings for Eastern in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively. Adding another from starting pitcher, graduate Davis Feldman (Warren, Mich.-Brother Rice) in the first inning, the Eagles recorded a season-high three three-up, three-down innings for the second time this season (at Northeastern, Feb. 29).
Game Two: UC 13, EMU 6
The afternoon session began with a much improved offensive attack from Eastern Michigan, but bullpen pitching woes hindered EMU's ability to stay competitive in the contest. Ultimately, the Bearcats rallied from a 4-2 deficit to win, 13-6.
After getting two runners aboard and failing to score in both the first and second innings, respectively, Eastern found success in the third. EMU got three consecutive singles from Hopkins, senior Nick Jones (Battle Creek, Mich.-Lakeview), and Warkentin. The RBI went to Warkentin, who tallied his eighth of the season with the knock, and put the Eagles ahead, 1-0. Just minutes later, Kauffman notched an RBI-single to extend EMU's advantage to a pair, 2-0.
The Eagles added another run in the fourth when Timko crossed the plate for the Green and White. He knocked a lead-off single before advancing to second on a wild pitch and later third on a fielding error. A second wild pitch allowed him to score and give EMU a 3-0 edge.
Up, 3-2, after four, the Eagles scored again in the fifth. Kauffman came around to score via an RBI-single by senior Drake Peggs (Knightstown, Ind.-Knightstown Community). The hit was Peggs' eighth of the season.
Sophomore right-hander Justin Meis (Pittsburgh, Pa.-Bethel Park) got the nod on the mound for EMU in game two, and put together a strong outing for the road team. The second-year standout blanked Cincinnati in three straight frames to start the contest, striking out five along the way. After allowing two runs in the fourth, the Steel City-native rebounded with another clean inning in the fifth, his last. In all, Meis used 92 pitches to amass seven strikeouts, and did not surrender a free pass in his no decision-effort.
EMU could not find rhythm on the mound following Meis' departure. Cincy went on to score 11 unanswered runs in the sixth and seventh innings, respectively, to take a 13-4 lead after eight. Eastern ended the day with a pair of runs in the ninth, but the rally was not enough to overcome the deep deficit as the Eagles fell, 13-6.
Eastern will have the opportunity to get back in the win column in the series' final game, tomorrow, March 8, at 1 p.m. For the most up-to-date information on all things EMU baseball, visit EMUEagles.com and follow the team on social media at @EMU_Baseball.
Eastern (1-12) had moments of success, both offensively and defensively, throughout the day, but could not find consistent rhythm in either game.
The two teams will square off tomorrow, March 8, in the final installment of the three-game set. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. in the Queen City.
Game One: UC 8, EMU 1
Eastern Michigan was unable to respond to the early lead built by Cincinnati in the first game, not finding an offensive spark until the ninth inning.
The Bearcats jumped to a 3-0 lead in the second inning, and maintained the three-run lead until the fourth inning, when the Bearcats would double their lead to 6-0. Cincy finished building their lead before the Eagles could get a runner on base, scoring two runs in the bottom of the fifth to take the 8-0 lead.
Eastern struggled offensively, failing to get a runner on base until the sixth inning. Junior Jared Kauffman (Springboro, Ohio-Bishop Fenwick) drew the walk, but the Green and White were unable to bring him around to score. EMU added another baserunner in the eighth as fellow junior Christian Bault (Maineville, Ohio-Archbishop Moeller (Lincoln Trail)) reached on a fielding error, but once again, Eastern left a runner on base.
EMU prevented the shutout in the top of the ninth, beginning with a walk that was drawn by Jeff Timko (Rochester Hills, Mich.-Brother Rice). Sophomore Taylor Hopkins (Mason, Ohio-Archbishop Moeller) followed with a single to the right side, putting Timko in scoring position. With two outs, junior Daniel Warkentin (Leamington, Ontario-Leamington District (Parkland)) doubled down the left field line to score Timko for his seventh RBI of the season.
Junior Luke McGuire (Shelby Twp., Mich.-Stevenson) tossed back-to-back 1-2-3 innings for Eastern in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively. Adding another from starting pitcher, graduate Davis Feldman (Warren, Mich.-Brother Rice) in the first inning, the Eagles recorded a season-high three three-up, three-down innings for the second time this season (at Northeastern, Feb. 29).
Game Two: UC 13, EMU 6
The afternoon session began with a much improved offensive attack from Eastern Michigan, but bullpen pitching woes hindered EMU's ability to stay competitive in the contest. Ultimately, the Bearcats rallied from a 4-2 deficit to win, 13-6.
After getting two runners aboard and failing to score in both the first and second innings, respectively, Eastern found success in the third. EMU got three consecutive singles from Hopkins, senior Nick Jones (Battle Creek, Mich.-Lakeview), and Warkentin. The RBI went to Warkentin, who tallied his eighth of the season with the knock, and put the Eagles ahead, 1-0. Just minutes later, Kauffman notched an RBI-single to extend EMU's advantage to a pair, 2-0.
The Eagles added another run in the fourth when Timko crossed the plate for the Green and White. He knocked a lead-off single before advancing to second on a wild pitch and later third on a fielding error. A second wild pitch allowed him to score and give EMU a 3-0 edge.
Up, 3-2, after four, the Eagles scored again in the fifth. Kauffman came around to score via an RBI-single by senior Drake Peggs (Knightstown, Ind.-Knightstown Community). The hit was Peggs' eighth of the season.
Sophomore right-hander Justin Meis (Pittsburgh, Pa.-Bethel Park) got the nod on the mound for EMU in game two, and put together a strong outing for the road team. The second-year standout blanked Cincinnati in three straight frames to start the contest, striking out five along the way. After allowing two runs in the fourth, the Steel City-native rebounded with another clean inning in the fifth, his last. In all, Meis used 92 pitches to amass seven strikeouts, and did not surrender a free pass in his no decision-effort.
EMU could not find rhythm on the mound following Meis' departure. Cincy went on to score 11 unanswered runs in the sixth and seventh innings, respectively, to take a 13-4 lead after eight. Eastern ended the day with a pair of runs in the ninth, but the rally was not enough to overcome the deep deficit as the Eagles fell, 13-6.
Eastern will have the opportunity to get back in the win column in the series' final game, tomorrow, March 8, at 1 p.m. For the most up-to-date information on all things EMU baseball, visit EMUEagles.com and follow the team on social media at @EMU_Baseball.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: SHAWVER (2-0)
L: Feldman, Davis (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Warkentin, Daniel 1
RBI: Warkentin, Daniel 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Timko, Jeff 1
Batting:
3B: HANSEN 1 ; JOHNSON 1
RBI: SANTIAGO 1 ; POWELL 1 ; HANSEN 2 ; JOHNSON 3
SF: POWELL 1
Base Running:
RUNS: STAPP 1 ; MERRITT 2 ; SANTIAGO 1 ; KOMISTEK 2 ; HANSEN 2
SB: SANTIAGO 1
CS: JOHNSON 1
HBP: MERRITT 1 ; JOHNSON 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
0
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
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