Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, March 1
Houston, Texas
12 p.m. CT
Eastern Michigan University
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5
at
6
Houston Christian
5-6
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5
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7
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Eastern Michigan
0
0
0
1
0
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5
5
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Houston Christian
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6
3
3
Eagles Drop Doubleheader to Houston Christian
3/1/2024 6:37:00 PM | Baseball
The Eagles and Huskies will play their series finale tomorrow, Saturday, March 2, at 3 p.m. CT (4 p.m. ET)
GAME 1 | Houston Christian 6, Eastern Michigan 5
GAME 2 | Houston Christian 4, Eastern Michigan 0
HOUSTON, Texas (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team played a doubleheader today, Friday, March 1, against the Houston Christian University Huskies. The Eagles fell in both games, losing 6-5 in the first, and 4-0 in the second. Eastern Michigan adjusts to 3-7 (0-0 MAC) while Houston Christian improves to 6-6 (0-0 SLC).
How it Happened (Game One)
Trailing 3-0, the Eagles first put runs on the board in the fourth inning. After a triple to left center field, Nathan Ball (Bay City, Mich./Bay City John Glenn) came across to score the first run of the game for Eastern Michigan.
The Huskies expanded their lead to 4-1 before the Eagles offense got back to work, cutting into that lead in the sixth. EMU brought home a pair of runs, with one driven in by Cory Taylor's (Shelbyville, Ind./Shelbyville) single, which trimmed the Huskies' lead to 4-3 at the time.
Eastern Michigan kept the Huskies off the scoreboard before rallying to snatch a 5-4 lead in the seventh. The Eagles scored twice, with one run coming across on senior Darren Kraft's (Mount Pleasant, S.C./Oceanside Collegiate Academy) single. The Eagles were unable to hold the lead, as Houston Christian scored two times in the bottom half of the seventh to grab the 6-5 win.
Game Notes (Game One)
» Ball tripled to left center field in the top of the fourth, marking the first triple and third extra-base hit of the freshman's career. He finished the day going 2-for-3 at the plate, securing the second multi-hit game of his career while also grabbing a hit in four straight contests.
» Taylor singled to center in the top of the sixth, scoring Blake McRae (Armada, Mich./Romeo/Lansing C.C.) to trim the HCU lead to one at the time. The RBI marked Taylor's third of the season while the hit went down as his sixth.
» The Eagles out-hit their opponent for the eighth time in the 2024 campaign. The only time this season EMU failed to out-hit its foe came Feb. 23, against Southern Indiana.
» Drew Beckner (Westerville, Ohio/Big Walnut/Charleston) had a solid outing on the mound as the junior allowed just two hits. Beckner has allowed two hits or less in two of his three appearances this season.
» Evan Sines (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) stole the first base of his career as he swiped second base in the Eastern half of the seventh, eventually scoring to knot the score at four.
» McRae had one hit and one RBI in the contest. The senior has managed at least one base knock in every game but one this season. After game one, McRae leads the team in batting average (.444), OPS (1.146), and on base percentage (.516). He ranks second on the squad in hits (12), while standing third in home runs (1), and doubles (2). Additionally, McRae's batting average serves as the sixth-highest in the MAC.
» Aaron Pirkle (New Albany, Ohio/New Albany/Akron) came in out of the bullpen to relive Beckner in the sixth. Pirkle did not allow a hit in the appearance, marking the third time he has done so out of his five outings this season.
Historical Notes (Game One)
» Today's first contest marks the second all-time between the Eagles and Huskies, after game one of the doubleheader, the series evened to 1-1.
How it Happened (Game Two)
After falling behind, 3-0 after two innings, the Eagles saw their best scoring opportunity of the game, kicked off by Giano Zuccaro (Middleburg Heights, Ohio/Berea Midpark/Charleston) as he secured their first hit of the contest, a single to right center field in the fourth.
Zuccaro would advance to third base after Lucas Johnson (Hamilton, Ontario/Westdale Secondary/Wright State) and Kraft drew walks, but failed to make it home.
The Huskies added a run in the fifth, making the score 4-0. The score remained unchanged for the final two innings of play.
Game Notes (Game Two)
» Freshman Jimmy Kunst (Natrona Heights, Pa./Highlands) was handed the ball to start the game, marking the first appearance and start of his career. Kunst pitched three innings, allowing four hits and three runs while facing 14 batters.
» Kraft walked twice, marking the second time this season and fourth time in his career he has done so.
» Zuccaro notched one stolen base and one hit for the second time as an Eagle. Zuccaro previously accomplished the feat by going 2-for-5 at the plate with two RBIs while stealing second in the second inning in EMU's 14-4 win over the Huskies, Feb. 29.
» Johnson recorded one hit and one walk for the fourth time as an Eagle.
Historical Notes (Game Two)
» Today's second contest marks the third all-time between the Eagles and Huskies, after game two of the doubleheader, the Huskies have taken the series advantage, 2-1.
» The Eagles were shutout in a seven-inning game for the first time since May 21, 2021 against Central Michigan University.
Up Next
The Eagles and Huskies will meet on the diamond for the final time this season tomorrow, Saturday, March 2, for a 2 p.m. CT first pitch.
Follow Us
For all things EMU Baseball, be sure to check out the team's social media accounts, including EMU_Baseball on X (formerly Twitter), emu_baseball on Instagram, and emu.baseball on TikTok.
GAME 2 | Houston Christian 4, Eastern Michigan 0
HOUSTON, Texas (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team played a doubleheader today, Friday, March 1, against the Houston Christian University Huskies. The Eagles fell in both games, losing 6-5 in the first, and 4-0 in the second. Eastern Michigan adjusts to 3-7 (0-0 MAC) while Houston Christian improves to 6-6 (0-0 SLC).
How it Happened (Game One)
Trailing 3-0, the Eagles first put runs on the board in the fourth inning. After a triple to left center field, Nathan Ball (Bay City, Mich./Bay City John Glenn) came across to score the first run of the game for Eastern Michigan.
The Huskies expanded their lead to 4-1 before the Eagles offense got back to work, cutting into that lead in the sixth. EMU brought home a pair of runs, with one driven in by Cory Taylor's (Shelbyville, Ind./Shelbyville) single, which trimmed the Huskies' lead to 4-3 at the time.
Eastern Michigan kept the Huskies off the scoreboard before rallying to snatch a 5-4 lead in the seventh. The Eagles scored twice, with one run coming across on senior Darren Kraft's (Mount Pleasant, S.C./Oceanside Collegiate Academy) single. The Eagles were unable to hold the lead, as Houston Christian scored two times in the bottom half of the seventh to grab the 6-5 win.
Game Notes (Game One)
» Ball tripled to left center field in the top of the fourth, marking the first triple and third extra-base hit of the freshman's career. He finished the day going 2-for-3 at the plate, securing the second multi-hit game of his career while also grabbing a hit in four straight contests.
» Taylor singled to center in the top of the sixth, scoring Blake McRae (Armada, Mich./Romeo/Lansing C.C.) to trim the HCU lead to one at the time. The RBI marked Taylor's third of the season while the hit went down as his sixth.
» The Eagles out-hit their opponent for the eighth time in the 2024 campaign. The only time this season EMU failed to out-hit its foe came Feb. 23, against Southern Indiana.
» Drew Beckner (Westerville, Ohio/Big Walnut/Charleston) had a solid outing on the mound as the junior allowed just two hits. Beckner has allowed two hits or less in two of his three appearances this season.
» Evan Sines (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) stole the first base of his career as he swiped second base in the Eastern half of the seventh, eventually scoring to knot the score at four.
» McRae had one hit and one RBI in the contest. The senior has managed at least one base knock in every game but one this season. After game one, McRae leads the team in batting average (.444), OPS (1.146), and on base percentage (.516). He ranks second on the squad in hits (12), while standing third in home runs (1), and doubles (2). Additionally, McRae's batting average serves as the sixth-highest in the MAC.
» Aaron Pirkle (New Albany, Ohio/New Albany/Akron) came in out of the bullpen to relive Beckner in the sixth. Pirkle did not allow a hit in the appearance, marking the third time he has done so out of his five outings this season.
Historical Notes (Game One)
» Today's first contest marks the second all-time between the Eagles and Huskies, after game one of the doubleheader, the series evened to 1-1.
How it Happened (Game Two)
After falling behind, 3-0 after two innings, the Eagles saw their best scoring opportunity of the game, kicked off by Giano Zuccaro (Middleburg Heights, Ohio/Berea Midpark/Charleston) as he secured their first hit of the contest, a single to right center field in the fourth.
Zuccaro would advance to third base after Lucas Johnson (Hamilton, Ontario/Westdale Secondary/Wright State) and Kraft drew walks, but failed to make it home.
The Huskies added a run in the fifth, making the score 4-0. The score remained unchanged for the final two innings of play.
Game Notes (Game Two)
» Freshman Jimmy Kunst (Natrona Heights, Pa./Highlands) was handed the ball to start the game, marking the first appearance and start of his career. Kunst pitched three innings, allowing four hits and three runs while facing 14 batters.
» Kraft walked twice, marking the second time this season and fourth time in his career he has done so.
» Zuccaro notched one stolen base and one hit for the second time as an Eagle. Zuccaro previously accomplished the feat by going 2-for-5 at the plate with two RBIs while stealing second in the second inning in EMU's 14-4 win over the Huskies, Feb. 29.
» Johnson recorded one hit and one walk for the fourth time as an Eagle.
Historical Notes (Game Two)
» Today's second contest marks the third all-time between the Eagles and Huskies, after game two of the doubleheader, the Huskies have taken the series advantage, 2-1.
» The Eagles were shutout in a seven-inning game for the first time since May 21, 2021 against Central Michigan University.
Up Next
The Eagles and Huskies will meet on the diamond for the final time this season tomorrow, Saturday, March 2, for a 2 p.m. CT first pitch.
Follow Us
For all things EMU Baseball, be sure to check out the team's social media accounts, including EMU_Baseball on X (formerly Twitter), emu_baseball on Instagram, and emu.baseball on TikTok.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Willard, Nicholas (2-1)
L: Pirkle, Aaron (0-1)
Batting:
3B: Ball, Nathan 1
RBI: Hugo, Logan 1 ; McRae, Blake 1 ; Milene, Logan 1 ; Taylor, Cory 1
SH: Zuccaro, Giano 1
SF: Hugo, Logan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Vance, Cooper 1 ; Ball, Nathan 1 ; Wilcox, Cole 1 ; McRae, Blake 1 ; Sines, Evan 1
SB: Taylor, Cory 1 ; Sines, Evan 1
HBP: Vance, Cooper 1 ; Kleiman, Brendan 1
Batting:
2B: Roper, Trevor 1
HR: LaRue, Tyler 1
RBI: LaRue, Tyler 3 ; Prinner, Josh 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Ruiz, Damian 1 ; LaRue, Dylan 1 ; Baker, Trent 1 ; Benjamin, Samuel 1 ; LaRue, Tyler 1 ; Roper, Trevor 1
SB: Hodge, Ty 2 ; Halligan, Katcher 1
CS: Halligan, Katcher 1
HBP: Ruiz, Damian 1 ; LaRue, Dylan 2 ; Benjamin, Samuel 1
Game Leaders
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RBI
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RBI
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RBI
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RBI
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Players Mentioned
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