Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
1-2
Northern Kentucky
2-1
Baseball Rallies, Uses Late Offensive Push to Earn First Victory of 2023
2/19/2023 5:55:00 PM | Baseball
The Eagles scored 10 runs in their final two at-bats to defeat Northern Kentucky
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HOOVER, Ala. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball pushed 10 runs across in its final two trips to the plate to secure its first victory of the 2023 season, a come-from-behind, 13-9 win over Northern Kentucky University today, Feb. 19, at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.
Down 5-1 heading into the bottom half of the sixth inning, Eastern Michigan (1-2, 0-0 MAC) put forth its best at-bats of the young season between the sixth and eighth innings, scoring 12 runs en route to the victory. Northern Kentucky (2-1, 0-0 Horizon) retook the lead, 9-8, in the top half of the eighth, but could not slow down the red-hot EMU offense.
Senior Nick Chittum (Grosse Ile, Mich.-Grosse Ile) came on in relief, tossing the final 1.1 innings and earning the victory for EMU. Offensively, a trio of Eagles recorded multiple hits.
How it Happened
The Eagles got the scoring started early, putting one run on the board in the bottom the first inning with the game still scoreless. Matt Kirk (Milford, Ohio-Milford-Cypress-Toledo) put Eastern Michigan on the board with a one-out solo home run off senior Joey Perkins.
The Norse then rallied to score five runs and take a 5-1 lead before the Eagles got back on the board in the sixth. Eastern Michigan picked up two runs when a single from sophomore Josh Kross (Brunswick, Ohio-Brunswick-Toledo) scored Kirk and junior Darren Kraft (Mount Pleasant, S.C.-Oceanside Collegiate Academy), which brought the score to 5-3 in favor of the Norse.
Northern Kentucky expanded their lead to 6-3 before the Eastern Michigan offense got back to work, overtaking the Norse to grab an 8-6 advantage in the seventh. The Eagles bats heated up in the inning, scoring five runs, including a two-run single off the bat of Taylor Hopkins (Mason, Ohio-Archbishop Moeller).
Eastern Michigan lost the lead they built in the seventh, but got back on the board in the eighth trailing 9-8. The Eagles scored five runs in the inning, highlighted by a two-run double off the bat of Hopkins, bringing the Eastern Michigan advantage to 13-9. The score remained 13-9 for the rest of the game, as the Eagles coasted to the win.
Game Notes
» Eastern Michigan scored five runs in both the seventh and eighth innings of today's contest. For Eastern Michigan, it was the first innings of five-or-more runs since May, 21, 2022, when the Eagles dropped five runs in the second inning of their game against Kent State University.
» Prior to today's contest, Eastern Michigan had not recorded consecutive innings of five or more runs since March 19, 2021, when it did so in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively, in a game against Butler University.
» Today marked the first come-from-behind win for Eastern Michigan since May 8, 2022, when Eastern erased a three-run deficit to defeat Northern Illinois University, 6-3.
» Hopkins drove in four runs today. His four RBIs are the second-most in his career, and the most since he drove in six at Austin Peay University, Feb. 15, 2020. The RBIs against the Governors are also his career-best mark.
» Hopkins' four RBIs are the most in a single game by an Eastern Michigan player since former Eagle Brady Huebbe knocked in six against Kent State, May 21, 2020.
» Hopkins' eight total RBIs in the series against Northern Kentucky are the most by an EMU student-athlete in a three-game since former Eagle Jordan Peterson collected 11 in a three-game set against Northern Illinois, May 12-14, 2017.
» Chittum earned his second collegiate victory with his decision in today's contest. The 17th appearance of his career, it was his first victory since April 27, 2022, against Alma College. Chittum, who earned his first win against a Division I opponent today, has won both of his collegiate decisions on a neutral field. His win over the Scots came at Comerica Park in Detroit, Mich.
» Eastern Michigan moves to 1-0 when scoring 10+ runs in 2023. Additionally, the Eagles are now 23-5 under Eric Roof (2018-Pres.) when scoring 10 or more runs in a game.
» The Green and White have tagged one run in the first inning in each of its games this season. It's the first time Eastern's offense has opened a season with a run in the first inning in each of its first three games since it did so against the University of Missouri to begin the 2017 season, Feb. 17-18.
» Kirk blasted a home run over the right field wall in the first inning. The second of the season for EMU and the first for Kirk, it marked his 18th career home run in an Eastern Michigan uniform, and first since he blasted one against Kent State, May 21, 2022.
» Glenn Miller (Pentwater, Mich.-Pentwater-Spring Arbor) notched his fourth hit of the season in today's contest, which ranks second on the team behind only Kirk (5). The Pentawater, Mich. product has opened up the 2023 regular-season on a three-game hit-streak, which is currently the longest on the team and marks the first time Miller has opened a season on a hitting-streak in his EMU career.
» Kross registered his second career hit and first RBI in today's contest. He finished the day with three total RBIs, a career-high across both his collegiate stints (EMU, Toledo – 2022).
» Eastern recorded season-bests in runs (13), hits (10), and RBIs (12) today. It marks the first time the Eagles have hit double digits in all three categories since they had 15 runs, 18 hits, and 15 RBIs against KSU, May 21, 2022.
Historical Notes
» With its win today, Eastern Michigan moves to 5-2 in its all-time series against Northern Kentucky. After securing two victories in both 2013 and 2014, respectively, EMU dropped the first two contests of this year's series before winning this afternoon.
» Eastern Michigan has now played 14 games in the State of Alabama since the beginning of the 1998 season. After this weekend, the Green and White hold a 5-8-1 record in those games. Prior to today's victory, EMU had not won in the state since 2021, when it swept Alabama State University in a short, two-game set, Feb. 27-28.
» Eastern Michigan eliminated a four-run, 5-1, deficit in today's game en route to the victory. It is the first time EMU has come back from a deficit of four runs of more in a game since it fell behind, 6-2, in a game against Central Michigan University before rallying to win, 7-6, in 12 innings, May 4, 2018.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Chittum, Nick (1-0)
L: BYRON, Zach (0-1)
Batting:
2B: MOSS, Treyvin 1 ; WAKEHAM, Jayden 1 ; LANE, Peyton 1
3B: KUCERA, Colton 1
RBI: MOSS, Treyvin 2 ; FISHER, Noah 2 ; WAKEHAM, Jayden 2 ; ODOM, John 1 ; WIMMERS, Nick 1
SH: SCHNEIDER, Adam 1
SF: MOSS, Treyvin 2
Base Running:
RUNS: MOSS, Treyvin 1 ; VORHEES, Manny 1 ; FISHER, Noah 1 ; McFADDEN-ACKMAN, Lia 1 ; LANE, Peyton 1 ; ODOM, John 1 ; KUCERA, Colton 3
SB: MOSS, Treyvin 1 ; KUCERA, Colton 1
CS: KILPATRICK, Ryan 1
HBP: VORHEES, Manny 1 ; FISHER, Noah 1
Batting:
2B: Hopkins, Taylor 1
HR: Kirk, Matt 1
RBI: Kirk, Matt 1 ; Kraft, Darren 1 ; Dolney, Aaron 2 ; Hopkins, Taylor 4 ; Kross, Josh 3 ; Hugo, Logan 1
SF: Hugo, Logan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Miller, Glenn 2 ; Kirk, Matt 3 ; Kraft, Darren 2 ; Dolney, Aaron 2 ; Hopkins, Taylor 2 ; Schroedle, Kyle 1 ; Taylor, Cory 1
SB: Dolney, Aaron 1 ; Hopkins, Taylor 1
HBP: Miller, Glenn 1 ; Kirk, Matt 2 ; Kraft, Darren 2 ; Hugo, Logan 1
