Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
2-3
Evansville
1-5
Baseball Drops Late-Inning Heartbreaker at Evansville
2/25/2023 6:18:00 PM | Baseball
The Eagles will go for the series win tomorrow, Feb. 25, at 1 p.m. ET
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team fell to the University of Evansville, 9-7, in game two of the three-game series between the two institutions, Saturday, Feb. 25, at German American Bank Field inside Charles H. Braun Stadium in Evansville, Ind.
Despite EMU's 4-0 lead in the eighth inning, the Purple Aces pushed across nine runs on four hits to take the lead. The Green and White strung together three runs on two hits in the comeback effort but fell short, leaving two runners on and dropping the second contest of the series.
On the mound, senior Trevor House (Okeana, Ohio-Ross) (0-1) took the loss for Eastern Michigan (2-3, 0-0 MAC). Senior Nick Chittum (Grosse Ile, Mich.-Grosse Ile) earned the start, pitching 4.2 shutout innings while allowing just two hits.
At the plate, the Eagles were led by sophomore Josh Kross (Brunswick, Ohio-Brunswick-Toledo), who went 3-for-5 on the day with a double and four RBIs. Senior Aaron Dolney (Plymouth, Mich.-Detroit Country Day-Nebraska-Hillsborough C.C.) and graduate student Taylor Hopkins (Mason, Ohio-Archbishop Moeller) also contributed to the scoring sheet, each putting together one hit and one RBI for the Green and White.
How it Happened
The Eagles put numbers on the board first, pushing a run across off Dolney's RBI double early in the first inning.
The Purple Aces failed to respond as the Eagles built on their lead in the third inning. EMU scored another run on an RBI single off the bat of Hopkins, which brought the score to 2-0 in favor of the Eagles.
The Green and White kept Evansville scoreless before building their lead to 3-0 in the fifth inning.
The Purple Aces remained scoreless in the seventh inning while graduate student Ryan Lux (Shelby Twp., Mich.-Stevenson) crossed home plate with the lone run of the inning for the Eagles, bringing the Eastern Michigan advantage to four.
Evansville then mounted a comeback, taking a 9-4 lead heading into the ninth, when the Eagles cut that deficit to 9-7. The ballgame ended with that ninth inning rally with the Eagles falling to the Purple Aces.
Game Notes
» Glenn Miller (Pentwater, Mich. Pentwater Spring Arbor) has seamlessly transitioned to hitting lead-off for EMU this season. With his first inning lead-off single this afternoon, the senior has now been on base in his first at-bat in 4-of-5 games played in the 2023 regular-season. The stretch marks the most efficient stint as a lead-off man in Miller's career.
» Dolney's double down the right-field line scored graduate student Matt Kirk (Milford, Ohio, Milford-Cypress-Toledo) in the top-half of the first inning to put the Eagles up, 1-0. The score continues the Green and White's streak of plating a run before their opponent to five games. Additionally, the hit marked Doleny's first extra-base-hit of the 2023 season after he finished third on the team in two-baggers last year with 12.
» Chittum shut down the Evansville offense in his second appearance of the season and first start. The Grosse Ile, Mich. native refused to relinquish a single hit to the Purple Aces' offense in his 4.2 innings pitched, along with giving up just two hits and walking a lone Evansville batter. In the midst of a great performance, Chittum sat-down the first 10 Purple Aces he faced, the most consecutive batters retired since the six-foot-two right hander sent five consecutive packing in a 5-1 victory versus Alma, April 27, 2022.
» Kross continued the stellar start to his EMU career in today's contest. The first-year Eagle drilled a single in the top of the ninth to score Miller and Hopkins. Along with two sacrifice RBIs, Kross finished with a team-high four RBIs, tying Hopkins for the most in a single game this season. Kross' four RBIs make him the only Eastern Michigan batter to produce multiple RBIs in three consecutive games this season and ties him with Hopkins for the most overall RBIs in the new 2023 season (9).
» Kirk garnered two intentional base-on-balls and three overall during today's contest. With the two walks, Kirk takes the team lead in base-on-balls in the 2023 season with five as well as becomes the only EMU player with multiple walks in a single game this season. Furthermore, Kirk became the first Green and White batter to notch three walks in a single game since former Eagle, Daniel Warkentin, was also walked three times in a 6-4 loss to Western Michigan University, Apr. 3, 2022.
» The Eagles matched a season-best in hits today with 10. The Green and White last notched 10 hits in a game, Feb. 19, in a 13-9 win over Northern Kentucky University. The Eagles have had a 10 hits or more in a game 86 times in Eric Roof's tenure as head coach (2018-Pres.), and have won 50 of those contests.
Up Next
Eastern Michigan will return to action tomorrow, Feb. 26, for game three of the series against the Purple Aces. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. CT, 2 p.m. ET. The game will be aired on ESPN+.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Max Hansmann (1-0)
L: House, Trevor (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Kross, Josh 1 ; Dolney, Aaron 1
RBI: Kirk, Matt 1 ; Kross, Josh 4 ; Dolney, Aaron 1 ; Hopkins, Taylor 1
SH: Miller, Glenn 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Miller, Glenn 1 ; Kirk, Matt 1 ; Kross, Josh 1 ; Lux, Ryan 2 ; Taylor, Cory 2
SB: Lux, Ryan 1 ; Taylor, Cory 1
CS: Kross, Josh 1 ; Hopkins, Taylor 1
HBP: Miller, Glenn 1 ; Hopkins, Taylor 1
Batting:
2B: Chase Hug 2 ; Brendan Hord 1
HR: Chase Hug 1
RBI: Kip Fougerousse 1 ; Chase Hug 4 ; Simon Scherry 1 ; Eric Roberts 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kip Fougerousse 2 ; Chase Hug 2 ; Simon Scherry 1 ; Brent Widder 1 ; Eric Roberts 1 ; Ben Stuart 1 ; Drew Howard 1
CS: Kip Fougerousse 1
HBP: Simon Scherry 1 ; Brent Widder 1 ; Ben Stuart 1
