Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
3-9, 1-2
Ball State
7-8, 2-1
Baseball Splits Doubleheader in Series Finale at Ball State
3/14/2022 2:38:00 PM | Baseball
Matt Kirk becomes first Eagle with two multiple-home run games in single season since 2016
Game 1: EMU 4, BSU 2
Game 2: BSU 11, EMU 8
MUNCIE, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University baseball team rode stellar pitching in the first leg of its Monday doubleheader at Ball State University, but could not contain the opposition's offense as it split a pair of games with the Cardinals in the series' final day, March 14, in Muncie. The Eagles took game one, 4-2, before dropping an 11-8 heartbreaker in game two.
How it Happened - Game 1
The Eagles got on the board immediately, starting their scoring with one run in the top of the first inning. It was junior Matt Kirk (Milford, Ohio-Milford (Toledo)) who put Eastern Michigan on the board with a one-out solo home run off sophomore Trennor O'Donnell.
Eastern then held the Cardinals scoreless before getting back on the board the very next inning. Eastern Michigan picked up a run on senior Brady Huebbe's (Peru, Ill.-La Salle-Peru (Northern Illinois)) one-out solo home run off of O'Donnell, which brought the Eagles' lead to 2-0.
Eastern Michigan kept Ball State without a run before building their lead to 4-0 in the fifth inning. The Eagles added two to their tally on another homer from Kirk, this time a two-run blast over the center field wall. Ball State put two runs on the scoreboard before the game was over, but Eastern Michigan still held on for the 4-2 win as freshman Adam Falinski (Howell, Mich.-Detroit Catholic Central) earned his second career win in his first complete game on the bump with the Green and White
Game Notes - Game 1
» The Eagles got two home runs off the bat of Kirk. It is the second game this season in which Kirk has left the yard twice, and the third overall for EMU. Gabe Denton (Clare, Mich.-Clare (North Iowa)) hit two home runs against Morehead State, March 5.
» The Eagles hit three home runs in game on of the Monday doubleheader at Ball State, which ties for its second-highest single-game total this season (3 - at Tennessee Tech, Feb. 25). EMU hit a season-best six long balls at Morehead State, March 5.
» Kirk compiled three base knocks in the game for Eastern Michigan. It was his team-leading third game this season with at least hits. He has now led or tied for the team lead in total hits in seven games this season.
» The Eagles outhit the Cardinals at a 7-3 clip, the fifth time this season that the Green and White has outpaced its competition in the batter's box.
» Falinski had one of his best outings to date against the Cardinals. The Howell, Mich. native tossed a seven-inning complete-game. He is the first EMU hurler to do so since Justin Meis, who accomplished the feat at Central Michigan, May 22, 2021. The 7.0 innings of work ties his career-high, which he hit in his first collegiate appearance, at Winthrop, Feb. 20. Falinski's effort included a personal-best five consecutive no-hit innings to start the game, and earned him his team-best second win this season. In his two victories this season, he has combined to allow just one earned run on five totals hits, while striking out 11.
» Huebbe went deep for the first time this season in game three of the series. It was his first home run since May 30, 2021, went he went deep as a member of the Northern Illinois Huskies in a game against Bowing Green. He has now hit six collegiate home runs.
» Warkentin recorded his first hits of the season in the day's first contest, going 2-for-3 at the plate. The effort was his first with multiple hits since he recorded a pair of knocks in a game against Kent State, May 29, 2021.
How it Happened - Game 2
The Eagles were trailing 1-0 in the fifth inning when they first put runs on the board. Eastern Michigan pushed across two runs in the frame, the big blow coming on an RBI double from Kirk.
The Cardinals then tied the ballgame at two before the Eagles came back to reclaim their advantage in the seventh inning. The Eastern Michigan offense exploded for five runs, highlighted by a two-run triple off the bat of senior Taylor Hopkins (Mason, Ohio-Archbishop Moeller), which brought the score to 7-2 in favor of the Eagles.
The Cardinals scored nine in the bottom of the seventh inning to make the score 11-7 in favor of Ball State. The Eagles cut that deficit to 11-8 in the ninth on Denton's leadoff home run, but the rally fell short and the game concluded with a 11-8 score, a win for BSU.
Game Notes - Game 2
» Warkentin added another three hits in game two of the Monday doubleheader. In total, he notched six hits on the day, the best two-game total for the Leamington, Ontario native in his three-season career with the Green and White.
» Denton hit his team-leading sixth home run of the season against the Cardinals in game four of the series. He did not hit his sixth home run of the season in 2021 until May 1, which was 22 games into his initial campaign with Eastern.
» Freshman Coltrane Rubner (Livonia, Mich.-Stevenson) recorded two hits against Ball State to notch his first multiple hit game as an Eagle. Coming into the contest, he had six hits in 24 trips to the plate.
» Senior pitcher Thomas House (Ross, Ohio-Ross) got the ball to start game two of the doubleheader. He went 3.0 innings, his fourth straight appearance hitting that mark. Additionally, he relinquished a season-low two hits to his opponent. House's four consecutive outings of three-or-more innings is a career-best stretch. He is in his fourth season as a member of the team's pitching staff.
Historical Notes
» Kirk has left the yard multiple times in two games this season, at Tennessee Tech, Feb. 26, and at Ball State, March 14. He is the first player to notch multiple two-homer games in the same season since 2016, when Mike Mioduszewski did so in games against Northern Illinois, May 15, and Dayton, May 16, respectively.
» The Eagles tallied four more home runs against Ball State in its pair of games, March 14, bringing its total for its series against the Cardinals to seven. Eastern has not hit seven home runs in a Mid-American Conference series since the beginning of the 2021 conference slate, when it took Akron deep seven times during a four-game stretch between March 19-21.
» Eastern Michigan has hit 22 home runs in its first 13 games of the 2022 season. That number equates to a 1.6 home runs per game average. EMU has not had a season with a home runs per game average of better than 1.0 since 2009, when the Eagles belted 100 total home runs, a 1.69 per game average. Eastern hit just 13 home runs in its first 13 games last season and finished with an overall per game average below 0.8.
» EMU has hit home runs in six consecutive games. It is the second stretch of at least five-straight games with at least one home run this season. Prior to this season, EMU had not seen multiple five-contest home run streaks since 2009, when the team put together three streaks of five-or-more consecutive games (12 games, 6 games, 6 games) with a home run.
» Eastern committed an error in the first game of the doubleheader against Ball State, March 14, brining an end to the Eagles' three-game errorless streak. That was the best stretch of zero-mistake baseball for the club since it went four games without an error between Feb. 27-March 6, 2021.
Up Next
Eastern will return home before heading back on the road for a three-game set against Butler University Friday-Sunday, March 18-20.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Falinski, Adam (2-2)
L: Trennor O'Donnell (1-2)
Batting:
HR: Kirk, Matt 2 ; Huebbe, Brady 1
RBI: Kirk, Matt 3 ; Huebbe, Brady 1
SH: Hopkins, Taylor 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kirk, Matt 2 ; Huebbe, Brady 1 ; Warkentin, Daniel 1
HBP: Huebbe, Brady 1
Batting:
2B: Trenton Quartermaine 1
HR: Amir Wright 1
RBI: Amir Wright 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Amir Wright 1 ; Zach Cole 1
