Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
20-27, 0
Northern Illinois
11-34, 0
Baseball Sweeps NIU Sunday in Doubleheader Action
5/8/2022 7:23:00 PM | Baseball
EMU competes in its final home series of 2022 May 13-15 versus Central Michigan
DEKALB, Ill. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University baseball team swept Northern Illinois University Sunday, May 8, in two games to conclude the four-game series against the Huskies inside Ralph McKinzie Field.
In the first game, junior Luke Russo (Howell, Mich.-Howell) (4-0) picked up the victory out of the bullpen for Eastern Michigan (21-27, 15-17 MAC). The right-hander went two shutout innings while giving up one hit, allowing three walks, and striking out two. Junior Zach Gillig (Valley Center, Kan.-Valley Center (Pratt)) also made an impact on the mound for the Eagles, throwing six scoreless innings while allowing five hits, with no walks and two strikeouts.
Senior Shane Easter (Kalamazoo, Mich.-Comstock) led the way offensively for the Eagles, going 2-for-4 with three RBI. Senior Daniel Warkentin (Leamington, Ontario-Leamington District (Parkland)) put together a noteworthy performance as well, going 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Sophomore Glenn Miller (Pentwater, Mich.-Pentwater (Spring Arbor)) also helped out, going 2-for-4 with a walk.
In game two, junior Matt Kirk (Milford, Ohio-Milford (Toledo)) racked up four hits to help propel Eastern Michigan over the Northern Illinois Huskies 10-4 on Sunday.
Junior Tyler Helgeson (Portage, Mich.-Portage Northern) (1-0) got the win on the mound for Eastern. The right-hander went 2.1 innings, giving up three runs, one earned, on four hits, allowing no walks, and striking out two. Junior Frankie Volkers (Maple Grove, Minn.-Maple Grove (North Iowa)) also pitched well, going three shutout innings without allowing a hit, walking none and striking out six.
In addition to his four hits, Kirk had two doubles, a home run, and two RBI to lead the Eagles. Freshman Aaron Dolney (Plymouth, Mich.-Detroit Country Day (Nebraska)) furnished a standout day at the plate as well, going 2-for-4 with a triple, a home run, and three RBI. Easter chipped in for EMU, putting together one hit in one trip to the plate while adding a triple, two walks, and an RBI.
How It Happened - Game One
Trailing 3-0, the Eagles first put runs on the board in the seventh inning. Warkentin's RBI double was the key hit in Eastern Michigan's three-run inning.
The game remained tied until the 10th inning, when the Eagles got going again on offense. EMU scored three runs on a single from Easter, which brought the Eagles' lead to 6-3. The score remained 6-3 for the rest of the game, as Eastern Michigan held on to win.
Game Notes - Game One
» Game one on Sunday was Eastern's third contest that went into extra innings. The Eagles own a 1-2 record in those games. EMU has been outscored by its opposition 3-6 in innings beyond the ninth.
» Eastern went 4-for-10 (.400) with runners in scoring position.
» The Green and White pitchers faced 43 Northern Illinois hitters in the game, allowing 11 ground balls and 10 fly balls while striking out five.
» Easter led the Eagles at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a game-high three RBIs. It is the fifth time this season Easter has notched multiple RBIs in a contest this season.
» Gillig finished with 6.1 IP of shutout baseball, a career-high for the right-hander. Gillig allowed just five hits and struck out two in his outing.
How It Happened - Game Two
The Eagles got on the board immediately, starting their scoring with one run in the top of the first inning. Senior Brady Huebbe's (Peru, Ill.-La Salle-Peru (Northern Illinois)) run-scoring single was the big hit in Eastern Michigan's three-run inning.
The Huskies then gained ground, narrowing the lead to 3-1 until the Eagles expanded their advantage in the third. Eastern picked up three runs, two coming on RBI triples from Dolney and Easter, which brought the Eagles' lead to 6-1.
Eastern Michigan kept Northern Illinois scoreless before building their lead to 8-1 the following inning. The Green and White added two to their tally on Kirk's two-run homer to right.
The Huskies closed the gap to 8-4 until Eastern Michigan added some insurance in the seventh. The Eagles drove home two runs, scoring one on a solo dinger from Dolney, bringing the Eastern Michigan advantage to 10-4. The score remained 10-4 for the rest of the game, as the Eagles coasted to the win.
Game Notes - Game Two
» Kirk racked up four hits on the day for EMU, tying a season-high. It is the second time Kirk has amassed four hits in a contest since racking up four base knocks in the season-opener at Winthrop, Feb. 18.
» Kirk served up an impressive stat line, going 4-for-4 with two doubles, a home run, and two RBIs. The outfielder leads the Green and White with 36 extra-base hits on the year.
» Furthermore, Kirk hit his 13th homer of the year.
» Dolney amassed a game-high three RBIs in the victory. It is Dolney's seventh multi-RBI game of the season.
» Dolney finished 2-for-4 with a home run, his sixth of the season.
» Volkers struck out six Huskies hitters in 3.0 innings of work to earn his second save of the season.
» The Eagles out-hit the Huskies at a 12-5 clip as each Eastern Michigan starter reached base safely in the win. Additionally, EMU went 5-for-10 (.500) with runners in scoring position.
» Eastern Michigan pitchers faced 31 Northern Illinois hitters in the game, allowing six ground balls and five fly balls while striking out nine.
Up Next
The Eagles will now look to next weekend when EMU hosts Central Michigan University, May 13-15, in the team's final home series of the season.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Russo, Luke (4-0)
L: KLAWITER (1-7)
Batting:
2B: Warkentin, Daniel 1
RBI: Hopkins, Taylor 1 ; Warkentin, Daniel 1 ; Easter, Shane 3
SH: Easter, Shane 1
SF: Hopkins, Taylor 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Dolney, Aaron 1 ; Oberg, Will 2 ; Hugo, Logan 1 ; Easter, Shane 1 ; Miller, Glenn 1
SB: Hugo, Logan 1 ; Miller, Glenn 1
HBP: Kirk, Matt 1
Batting:
2B: ERATO 1 ; HARPER 1
RBI: COMBS 1 ; HARPER 1 ; KELLEY 1
SH: ARANDA 1 ; PETERS 1
Base Running:
RUNS: JOHNSON 1 ; COMBS 1 ; HARPER 1
SB: ERATO 1
CS: JOHNSON 1 ; KELLEY 1
HBP: KELLEY 2
