Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
3-5
Houston Christian
4-6
Eagles Plate Eight in the First En Route to 14-4 Win Over Houston Christian
2/29/2024 6:41:00 PM | Baseball
The Eagles scored eight runs or more in the first inning for the first time since the 2021 season
Photo Gallery.
HOUSTON, Texas (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team topped Houston Christian University, 14-4, in the first meeting between the institutions, Thursday, Feb. 29. With the win, Eastern improves to 3-5 (0-0 MAC) on the season while Houston Christian adjust to 4-6 (0-0 SLC).
How it Happened
The Eagles got on the board immediately, starting their scoring with eight runs in the top of the first inning. Eastern Michigan's offense got a bulk of their scoring in the first from infielders, including a three-run home run off the bat of Cooper Vance (New Waterford, Ohio/Mohawk) and a two-run single from senior Glenn Miller (Pentwater, Mich./Pentwater/Spring Arbor).
The Huskies then gained ground, narrowing the lead to 8-1 until the Eagles expanded their advantage in the third. Eastern Michigan scored three runs in the frame, buoyed by a two-run single off the bat of junior Giano Zuccaro (Middleburg Heights, Ohio/Berea Midpark/Charleston), which brought the Eagles lead to 11-1.
Houston Christian narrowed Eastern Michigan's lead to 11-3 before the Eagles stretched the advantage to 12-3 in the fifth inning. The Eagles scored a run on senior Blake McRae's (Armada, Mich./Romeo/Lansing C.C.) one-out RBI double.
The Huskies gained ground, closing the gap to 12-4 until Eastern Michigan added some insurance in the sixth. The Eagles drove home a run on an RBI triple off the bat of Logan Hugo (Essexville, Mich./Essexville Garber), scoring Vance, bringing the Eastern Michigan advantage to 13-4.
The Eagles kept Houston Christian scoreless before building on their lead to 14-4 the following inning. Eastern Michigan scored a run on an RBI triple off the bat of Cory Taylor (Shelbyville, Ind./Shelbyville), scoring junior Lucas Johnson (Hamilton, Ontario/Westdale Secondary/Wright State). The score remained 14-4 for the rest of the game, as the Eagles coasted to the win.
Game Notes
» Eastern scored 10+ runs for the second time this season, also doing so against Belmont, Feb. 18. The Eagles are now 2-0 this season when plating 10+.
» Hugo notched the first four-hit game of his career, as well as the third triple of his EMU tenure. The feats marked the team's first of the 2024 season, respectively. Hugo's four hits mark the first four-hit performance from an Eagle since Kyle Schroedle (Redding, Calif./University Prep/Crown College) hit for the cycle last season against Northern Illinois, May 19, marking the first cycle in program history, and the first the MAC has seen since 2016.
» Today's 14-4 win marked the Eagles' first series-opening win of the 2024 season.
» Bobby Jones (Loveland, Ohio/St. Xavier/Xavier) set a career-high on the bump, tossing 108 pitches, the most from an EMU hurler this season. The junior also secured the first victory of his collegiate career.
» EMU outhit its opponent for the sixth time this season, moving to 3-4 in such games. The only game EMU has not outhit its opponent was an 11-8 loss at USI, Feb. 23.
» Freshman Liam Baker (Cleveland, Ohio/St. Ignatius) came in out of the bullpen in the sixth, tossing two pitches for the final out of the game, marking the first appearance of his career.
» Vance drove in three runs via a homer to left field in the first, both the RBIs and home run tie a career-high. His performance today marks his second time in the previous three games sending three EMU base runners home. The sophomore infielder leads the Eagles in RBIs, and is tied with three others for the third-most RBIs in the conference.
» The Eagles tied a season-high with eight walks in the contest. Taylor and Johnson each walked twice, marking the Eagles second game this season where two players drew multiple free bases. For Johnson, the two base-on-balls marked a career-high.
» EMU scored five-plus runs in the first inning for the second time this season, previously doing so in a 16-6 win over Belmont, Feb. 17. Eastern is now 2-0 when plating five or more in the first inning.
» The Eagles exploded for eight runs in the first, marking the most of the season and the most since they scored 12 in the opening inning against Toledo, May 4, 2021, a game that resulted in a 13-2 EMU win.
» Freshman Nathan Ball (Bay City, Mich./Bay City John Glenn) set a career-high with three runs scored, and stole the first base of his career, finishing the game with two swiped bags. Furthermore, with one hit in the contest, Ball now has a hit in three consecutive outings.
Historical Notes
» The Eagles' 14-4 victory over the Huskies marks the program's first win in the state of Texas since it topped the Kansas Jayhawks, 6-4, nearly a year to date, March 1, 2013, in Grand Prairie.
» Eastern won a game on "Leap Day" for the first time since Feb. 29, 2012. That day, the Eagles claimed victory versus North Carolina Central, 8-4. With today's win, EMU improves to 4-6 on Leap Day.
» EMU won its first game against a member of the Southland Conference since March 3, 2018, a day that saw the Eagles roll past Nicholls State in extra innings, 11-3.
» With the win, Eastern now holds the all-time series edge over the Huskies, 1-0.
Up Next
The Eagles and Huskies will play a doubleheader tomorrow, March 1. The first game will start at 12 p.m. CT, and the second will begin roughly 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first contest.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Jones, Bobby (1-1)
L: Kirkpatrick, James (0-2)
Batting:
2B: McRae, Blake 1
3B: Hugo, Logan 1 ; Taylor, Cory 1
HR: Vance, Cooper 1
RBI: Vance, Cooper 3 ; Hugo, Logan 1 ; Zuccaro, Giano 2 ; McRae, Blake 1 ; Johnson, Lucas 1 ; Taylor, Cory 1 ; Kraft, Darren 1 ; Miller, Glenn 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Vance, Cooper 3 ; Hugo, Logan 2 ; Ball, Nathan 3 ; McRae, Blake 1 ; Johnson, Lucas 2 ; Taylor, Cory 1 ; Kraft, Darren 1 ; Miller, Glenn 1
SB: Vance, Cooper 1 ; Hugo, Logan 2 ; Ball, Nathan 2 ; Zuccaro, Giano 1 ; Johnson, Lucas 1 ; Taylor, Cory 1
Batting:
RBI: Benjamin, Samuel 1 ; LaRue, Dylan 1 ; Hodge, Ty 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Benjamin, Samuel 2 ; LaRue, Tyler 1 ; Roper, Trevor 1
SB: Benjamin, Samuel 1
HBP: LaRue, Tyler 2
