Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
4-4
Towson
2-8
Baseball Routs Towson in Both Games of Doubleheader Sweep
3/4/2023 5:56:00 PM | Baseball
EMU combined to outscore Towson 16-3 on the day
GAME 1 | Eastern Michigan 9, Towson 0
GAME 2 | Eastern Michigan 7, Towson 3
TOWSON, Md. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University baseball team used heavy-hitting offense and stout pitching en route to two dominant victories over Towson University, today, March 4 as part of a doubleheader inside Schuerholz Park.
Eastern Michigan (5-4, 0-0 MAC) won game one, 9-0, before securing a 7-3 victory in game two of the afternoon set. The Eagles will conclude its four-game series at Towson (2-9, 0-0 CAA) tomorrow, March 5.
Senior Thomas House (Ross, Ohio.-Ross) and junior Bobby Jones (Loveland, Ohio.-St. Xavier-Xavier) combined to toss a shutout in game one as the Eagles blanked the Tigers, 9-0.
House (1-1) started and picked up the win for Eastern Michigan, going four shutout innings while giving up three hits, walking four, and striking out three. Jones was dealing out of the bullpen as well, going five shutout innings, allowing two hits, walking four and striking out two.
Senior Aaron Dolney (Plymouth, Mich.-Detroit Country Day-Nebraska-Hillsborough C.C.) led the way offensively for the Eagles, going 2-for-5 in the ballgame with a home run and four RBIs. Graduate student Matt Kirk (Milford, Ohio.-Milford-Cypress-Toledo) compiled a standout performance at the dish as well, going 1-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs. Junior Cory Taylor (Shelbyville, Ind.-Shelbyville) also chipped in, going 2-for-4 for Eastern Michigan with two doubles and two RBsI.
EMU took a 3-1 lead in the second inning of game two and never surrendered the advantage on the way to a 7-3 victory.
Junior Adam Falinski (Howell, Mich.-Detroit Catholic Central-Ashland) (1-0) got the win for Eastern Michigan. The right-hander went four innings, giving up two runs, one earned, on five hits, allowing two walks and striking out six. Senior Zach Gillig (Valley Center, Kan.-Valley Center-Friends-Pratt) also pitched well, going 3.1 shutout innings while allowing two hits, walking one and striking out one.
Kirk led the way offensively for the Eagles, going 1-for-4 in the ballgame with a double, a walk and two RBIs. Junior Cole Wilcox (Shiocton, Wis.-Shiocton-Lake County) put together a standout effort as well, going 1-for-2 with a double and two RBI. Freshman Kyle Schroedle (Redding, Calif.-University Prep-Crown College) was 1-for-2 for Eastern Michigan with a walk and two RBIs.
How it Happened - Game 1
The Eagles took the lead for good in the first, scoring for the first time in the inning. Eastern Michigan's offense started clicking and put up four runs, including a two-run single off the bat of Dolney.
The Eagles then tacked on runs in the fourth and seventh innings, with their biggest output coming in the seventh when they scored four times. The big hits in that inning were a two-run double off the bat of Taylor and a two-run home run from Dolney.
Game Notes - Game 1
» Eastern Michigan's offense got started early today. With a homer from Kirk, along with RBIs from Doleny and Blake McRae (Armada, Mich.-Romeo-Lansing C.C.), the Eagles pushed across four runs in the first inning. The four runs marks the most scored in the first frame this season for EMU, and the most since the Green and White plated five in the top half of the first in a 7-4 victory versus Western Michigan University, Apr. 1, 2022.
» House had it going in the first game of the double header today. The 6-foot-2 graduate student pitched four full innings, not giving up any runs, striking out three, as well as earning his first win of the 2023 campaign. Today's performance marks the first time House has not relinquished a run in a start since he went five innings, allowing one hit and sitting down five in a 7-0 shutout versus Butler, March 20, 2022.
» Dolney built upon his day by sending his first long-ball of the season over the fences in the top half of the seventh inning. The homer scored Hopkins to increase the EMU lead to nine. Dolney finished the day going 2-for-5 at the dish with a homer and four RBIs. The four RBIs are just one shy of his EMU career high as Dolney sent home five in a 18-6 win versus Akron, March 25, 2022. Additionally, the four runs driven in are tied for the most in a single game by ny EMU player this season (Hopkins, twice)
» Taylor notched two doubles in the game, the first two-baggers of his career. The Shelbyville, Ind. native is off to a career-best start at the plate, currently hitting .375 on the year. Last season, Taylor hit .209, making this year's average a 166-point improvement.
» The Eastern bat's were white-hot today as the team notched a season-high 16 hits, six of which being doubles. The 16 hits are the most for EMU as a team since they knocked 20 hits in a 19-4 thrashing of Bowling Green, May 1, 2022.
» Eastern Michigan has scored multiple first-inning runs in consecutive games, scoring three against Towson in game one of the series, March 3, before putting up four in game one of today's doubleheader. It is the first two-game stretch scoring multiple first-inning runs for the Eagles since May 1-7, 2022, when EMU accomplished the feat against Bowling Green State University, May 1, and Northern Illinois University, May 7.
» Former North Iowa Area C.C. slugger Logan Milene (Rochester, Minn.-Rochester Century-North Iowa Area C.C.) had an EMU career-day. The 6-foot-1 junior notched a season best three hits in today's win, two of which being doubles. The two extra-base-hits mark Milene's first multiple extra-base-hit performance of his Eastern Michigan Career.
Historical Notes - Game 1
» Eastern Michigan's bats have been hot early as of late. The Eagles have managed to score seven total runs in just the first inning through two games this series. This marks the most runs scored in the first inning through any two consecutive games since the Green and White scored six runs total in the opening frames versus Bowling Green, Apr. 30 and May 1, 2022
» Today's 9-0 shutout victory marks the first time Eastern Michigan has shut out an opponent since it shut down Butler University 7-0 in the second game of a double header, March 20, 2022.
How it Happened - Game 2
The Eagles were trailing 1-0 in the second inning when they first put runs on the board. Eastern Michigan scored three runs in the frame, highlighted by a two-run single off the bat of Schroedle.
The Tigers failed to push any runs across before the Eagles built on their lead in the fourth inning. Eastern Michigan managed to push across two runs in the inning, which brought the score to 5-1 in favor of the Eagles.
Towson narrowed Eastern Michigan's lead to 5-3 before the Eagles stretched the advantage to 7-3 in the seventh inning. The Eagles drove two runs across on a two-run double off the bat of Wilcox that scored senior Taylor Hopkins (Mason, Ohio.-Archbishop Moeller) and Milene. The score remained 7-3 for the rest of the game, as Eastern Michigan coasted to the win.
Game Notes - Game 2
» EMU newcomer Schroedle has had himself a memorable series. After tallying his first base-hit as an Eagle in the first game of the double header, The former Crown College slugger drilled a single to right-center field, scoring Milene and Dolney for his first two RBIs as a member of the Green and White.
» This mornings excellent starting pitching from House carried over to the afternoon game where Falinsky dueled from the bump. The 6-foot-3 junior pitched four innings, allowing five hits and two runs with six punchouts. Falinsky's six strikeouts tie a season high for an individual EMU pitcher as Luke Russo (Howell, Mich.-Howell) also sat-down six in a 5-2 victory against Evansville, Feb. 24.
» Wilcox got his Eastern Michigan career started off in a big spot as the former Lake County Lancer notched his first hit, extra-base-hit, and RBIs with one swing of the bat. Wilcox doubled in the seventh inning, scoring Milene and Hopkins, and increasing the EMU lead to four with just a few innings remaining.
» Adding to the list of first for EMU newcomers, Gillig notched his first Division I strikeout today. The former All-Conference pitcher for the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) provided valuable relief innings for the Eagles and finished the day with 3.1 innings pitched, walking one while allowing no runs and striking out one Towson batter.
» The Eagles had their eyes peeled at the dish today as the Green and White totaled a season-high in walks with eight. That marks the most walks in a single game for EMU since they were issued nine walks in a 14-10 win versus Miami, Apr.10, 2022. Last season, the Eagles were walked five or more times in 12 games. Their record in those games was 6-6.
Historical Notes - Game 2
» Today's two wins over Towson grant Eastern Michigan their first three-game win streak of the season. The last time the Eagles won three straight games was Apr 27-30, 2022, when they defeated Alma College in a stand-alone game and won two straight versus Bowling Green University.
» With today's victories, EMU grew their all-time record versus the Tigers of Towson to a perfect 3-0.
Up Next
The Eagles will wrap up their four-game set versus Towson and aim for four straight wins at 1 p.m. ET tomorrow, March 5. The game will be broadcasted on FloSports.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: House, Thomas (1-1)
L: Shayne Clowar (0-2)
S: Jones, Bobby (1)
Batting:
2B: Miller, Glenn 1 ; Hopkins, Taylor 1 ; Milene, Logan 2 ; Taylor, Cory 2
HR: Kirk, Matt 1 ; Dolney, Aaron 1
RBI: Kirk, Matt 2 ; Dolney, Aaron 4 ; McRae, Blake 1 ; Taylor, Cory 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Kirk, Matt 1 ; Kross, Josh 1 ; Hopkins, Taylor 2 ; Dolney, Aaron 2 ; McRae, Blake 1 ; Schroedle, Kyle 1 ; Taylor, Cory 1
SB: Miller, Glenn 1 ; McRae, Blake 1 ; Schroedle, Kyle 1 ; Taylor, Cory 1
Batting:
SH: James Moses 1
Base Running:
SB: Jordan Peyton 1
CS: Brian Heckelman 1
