Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
23-25, 0
Kent State
36-14, 0
Russo Throws 8 Strikeouts in EMU's 4-1 loss to Kent State
5/13/2023 5:32:00 PM | Baseball
Kross and McRae with two hits each, Russo tallies his second seven-inning outing
Rewatch the game
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - Senior Luke Russo (Howell, Mich.-Howell) dominated on Saturday, May 13 punching out eight Kent State University hitters over seven innings of work, but it was not enough as the Eastern Michigan University baseball team lost to the Golden Flashes, 4-1, at Oestrike Stadium.
In addition to his eight strikeouts, Russo (5-4) went seven innings, giving up two runs, both of them earned, on four hits and walking two for Eastern Michigan (23-25).
In the batter's box, the Eagles were paced by sophomore Josh Kross (Brunswick, Ohio-Brunswick-Toledo), who went 2-for-4 on the day with an RBI. Senior Blake McRae (Armada, Mich.-Romeo-Lansing) put together a noteworthy performance at the plate as well, going 2-for-3.
How it Happened
The Eagles were trailing 2-0 in the eighth inning when they first put runs on the board. Eastern Michigan got an RBI single from Kross, scoring McRae from third base. The Eagles were unable to get any closer, as Kent State added two runs to their tally on the way to a 4-1 final.
Game Notes
» Kross' RBI single to third in the eighth marked his 62nd driven in this season, putting the switch-hitting sophomore just two RBIs away from tying former Eagle Matt Skirving, who drove in 64 in the 2009 season. The first baseman also recorded his 27th multi-hit day of the season.
» Russo got the start for the Eagles today and churned out another quality start. The 6-foot-4 right-hander went seven innings into the game for just the second time this year. The senior also went seven innings versus Miami University, April 9, where he struck out nine while allowing just one run on two hits. Saturday afternoon's performance marks the second time this season, the most of any EMU pitcher in the 2023 campaign. Russo's two seven inning outings are the most for an individual EMU pitcher since Adam Falinski (Howell, Mich.-Detroit Catholic Central-Ashland) tossed five in the 2022 season.
» McRae produced offensively for Eastern, tallying multiple hits for the sixth time in the 2023 regular season. Additionally, today marks just the second time the Armada, Mich. native has recorded consecutive games with multiple hits as he also did so earlier this season versus Niagara University, April 29-30.
» Eagles pitching has aggressively attacked the strike zone this season. With 11 strikeouts Saturday afternoon, EMU pitching has recorded 17 games with double-digit punch outs. This marks the most since last season, where the eagles tossed 15 such games. Furthermore, this season marks the third straight campaign where Green and White pitching has tallied double-digit strikeouts in double-digit games, as they also did so in each of the previous two seasons, marking the first time in the Eagles have accomplished the feat modern statistical data era.
Historical Notes
» Saturday afternoon's contest marked the 127th all-time meeting between the Eagles and Golden Flashes, after today's result, the Green and White hold a 48-80 record when facing Kent State.
» With tomorrow's game, Eastern Michigan could win their first series versus Kent State since the 1988 season.
Up Next
Eastern and Kent State will play the rubber-match of their series tomorrow, Sunday, May 14. The first pitch is slated for 1 p.m. Fans can tune into Eagle All-Access and follow @EMU_Baseball on twitter for live in-game updates.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Joe Whitman (8-1)
L: Russo, Luke (5-4)
S: Mitchell Scott (13)
Batting:
2B: Collin Mathews 1
RBI: Collin Mathews 1 ; Justin Miknis 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Collin Mathews 1 ; Justin Miknis 1 ; Mack Timbrook 2
SB: Mack Timbrook 1
CS: Collin Mathews 1 ; Josh Johnson 1
HBP: Josh Johnson 1 ; Mack Timbrook 1
Batting:
RBI: Kross, Josh 1
Base Running:
RUNS: McRae, Blake 1
SB: Dolney, Aaron 1
HBP: Kirk, Matt 1
PO: McRae, Blake 1
