Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
1-3
Tennessee Tech
4-0
Baseball Falls to Tennessee Tech in Series-Opening Game
2/25/2022 7:21:00 PM | Baseball
Senior Eli Gora belted his first-career home run, notched two RBIs in the setback
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (EMUEagles.com) --The Eastern Michigan University baseball team fell to the Tennessee Tech University Friday, Feb. 25,13-4, on the road in Cookeville, Tenn.
Senior infielder Eli Gora (Cinicannti, Ohio-Anderson) went 1-for-3 with his first-career home run and two RBIs to lead EMU's offensive attack.
Senior Zach Fruit (Dundee, Mich.-Dundee (Lansing C.C.)) (0-1) got the ball to start for Eastern Michigan (1-3) and took the loss.
Senior Jared Kauffman (Springboro, Ohio-Bishop Fenwick) furnished a standout day at the dish, going 1-for-2 with a double in his first game action of the year. Freshman Darren Kraft (Mount Pleasant, S.C.-Oceanside Collegiate) also contributed for Eastern Michigan, putting together two hits in two trips to the plate.
How It Happened
Trailing 12-0, the Eagles first put runs on the board in the seventh inning. Eastern Michigan plated two runs when Gora left the yard with Kraft aboard.
The Eagles deficit grew to 13-2 before their offense got back on the scoreboard, cutting into that deficit in the eighth inning. Kauffman came across to score the lone run of the inning for Eastern Michigan, which tightened the Golden Eagles lead to 13-3.
Eastern Michigan held the Golden Eagles off the scoreboard before narrowing the gap to 13-4 in the ninth. Despite its best efforts, the EMU offense could not muster a comeback.
Game Notes
» Eastern Michigan's highest scoring inning was the seventh, when it pushed two runs across.
» Gora's home run was the second hit of his season, both of which have gone for extra bases. The round-tripper is the first of Gora's career, while his RBIs were his fourth and fifth, respectively. Gora leads Eastern Michigan in that category through four games this season.
» Kraft was perfect in his debut with the Green and White, notching a team-best two hits at the plate. He is the only freshman to lead Eastern Michigan in single game hits thus far in 2022.
» Senior captain Shane Easter (Kalamazoo, Mich.-Comstock) has begun the season with a four-game hit streak after notching a single hit against TTU in today's game. Easter's hit streak is the best of any player on the team this season, and is his longest since he racked up hits in nine consecutive games between April 16-May 7, 2021.
» Junior Ryan Lux (Shelby Twp., Mich.-Stevenson) delivered the first RBI of his career when he pumped a sacrifice fly into center field during the eighth inning of the contest.
Up Next
EMU and Tennessee Tech will square off in game two of the series' three-game set tomorrow, Feb. 26, beginning at 1 p.m. CT.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: CALITRI (1-0)
L: Fruit, Zach (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Kauffman, Jared 1
HR: Gora, Eli 1
RBI: Lux, Ryan 1 ; Gora, Eli 2
SF: Lux, Ryan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kauffman, Jared 1 ; Bault, Christian 1 ; Kraft, Darren 1 ; Gora, Eli 1
HBP: Huebbe, Brady 1 ; Taylor, Cory 1
Batting:
2B: JOHNSON, E. 1 ; LACY 1 ; GILLESPIE 1 ; GUARDINO 1 ; GREEN 1
HR: HINCHMAN 1 ; JONES, L. 1
RBI: JOHNSON, E. 2 ; LACY 1 ; HINCHMAN 4 ; GILLESPIE 1 ; GILLILAND 1 ; JONES, L. 1 ; HATTIER 1 ; GREEN 1
SF: LACY 1 ; GILLESPIE 1
Base Running:
RUNS: JOHNSON, E. 1 ; LACY 2 ; HINCHMAN 1 ; GILLILAND 2 ; JONES, L. 1 ; GUARDINO 1 ; LONG, W. 2 ; BONDURANT 1 ; TURNER, A. 2
HBP: JOHNSON, E. 1 ; GUARDINO 1
