Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
6-13
Morehead State
11-9
Eagles Knock Season-High in Doubles, Top Morehead State, 9-8
3/17/2024 5:02:00 PM | Baseball
Drew Jones became the first Eagle with a hit and save in the same season since 2016
MOREHEAD, Ky. (EMUEagles.com) – Junior Giano Zuccaro collected four hits to help propel the Eastern Michigan University Eagles over the Morehead State University Eagles, 9-8, Sunday, March 17. Eastern improved to 6-13 (2-1 MAC), while Morehead State fell to 11-9 (0-0 OVC).
Senior Nick Chittum (Grosse Ile, Mich./Grosse Ile) (2-3) started on the mound and picked up the win for Eastern Michigan. The right-hander went 5.2 innings, giving up five runs, four earned, on seven hits, allowing three walks and striking out four.
In addition to his four hits, Zuccaro (Middleburg Heights, Ohio/Berea Midpark/Charleston) had two doubles and an RBI to lead the Eagles.
Junior Brendan Kleiman (Olney, Md./Sherwood/Frederick C.C.) furnished a noteworthy performance as well, going 3-for-5 with two doubles and three RBI. Senior Blake McRae (Armada, Mich./Romeo/Lansing C.C.) also helped out Eastern Michigan, putting together two hits in six trips to the plate while adding one double, one home run and two RBI.
How it Happened
After falling behind, 2-0, after one inning, Eastern responded with a pair of runs of its own in the top of the second. After Kleiman's RBI, Drew Jones (Cleveland, Ohio/Brush/Ohio State) doubled to right, driving in Lucas Johnson (Hamilton, Ontario/Westdale Secondary/Wright State), tying the game at two.
Zuccaro would double in the third before McRae did so in the fourth, each recording an RBI in the process, expanding the EMU lead to three. Morehead State fought back in the ensuing half inning, knotting the score at five after four.
Eastern Michigan scored one run each of the next three innings, while MSU plated one in the eighth. Kleiman came through in the ninth, driving Zuccaro home with a single to right, scoring a crucial insurance run for Eastern.
MSU would not go down easy, loading the bases and scoring two runs in its half of the ninth, however EMU prevailed for the 9-8 victory.
Game Notes
» Jones doubled to right field, scoring an EMU baserunner to knot the score at two in the top of the second inning. After homering in Saturday's doubleheader, Jones has notched consecutive games with an extra base hit and RBI for the first time in his college career.
» Zuccaro had an outstanding day at the plate, going 4-for-4 with two doubles and one RBI. His two doubles mark his second game as an Eagle with multiple extra base hits, also doing so against Belmont University, Feb. 18. The junior became the third Eagle to record four hits in a game this season, joining teammates Logan Hugo (Essexville, Mich./Essexville Garber) and Cory Taylor (Shelbyville, Mich./Shelbyville).
» Out-hit by Morehead State, 14-13, the Eagles won their first game of the season when being out-hit by their opponent.
» Kleiman batted 3-for-5 with two doubles and three RBI. The catcher's three RBI marks a season-high while his double was the first extra-base hit of his Eastern Michigan career. With another double in the seventh, Kleiman secured his first game with multiple extra base hits at the Division I level.
» Eastern took a 7-5 lead into the top of the seventh inning. The six-inning plateau has proved crucial for the Eagles this season, as they are now 6-0 when leading after six.
» McRae totaled two hits (one double, one home run) with two RBI in the game. McRae is up to three home runs on the season, tying for second on the team. He also leads the team in multi-hit games (nine), and multi-RBI games (five).
» Glenn Miller (Pentwater, Mich./Pentwater/Spring Arbor) was lights out from third base as the senior recorded a career-high six assists from the hot corner while making several bare-handed plays throughout the game.
» The Green and White tied a season-high with seven doubles in the game. They also smashed seven two-baggers in a 16-6 win over Belmont, Feb. 18. The seven doubles are also the most in the conference in a single game this season.
» Switching from the field to the mound, Jones pitched the ninth inning, earning the save and sealing the win for Eastern. Jones currently stands second in the MAC with his two saves. Additionally, Jones is the only EMU pitcher to earn multiple saves thus far.
Historical Notes
» Sunday's contest marks the 16th all-time between Eastern Michigan and Morehead State, after the win, Eastern holds a 5-11 record when facing MSU.
» Eastern played its 54th game against an OVC opponent and, with the result, the Eagles now hold a 26-29 record when facing the OVC.
» With two saves and five hits this season, Jones is the first Eastern player to earn both a save and a hit in the same season since former Eagle Matthew Church did so in the 2016 campaign.
Up Next
The Eagles will return home after 19 consecutive road games to begin the season, as they are set to host the University of Michigan at Oestrike Stadium, Tuesday, March 19, at 4 p.m.
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: Chittum, Nick (2-3)
L: MCGILL, Callum (1-2)
S: Jones, Drew (2)
Batting:
2B: Jones, Drew 1 ; McRae, Blake 1 ; Hugo, Logan 1 ; Zuccaro, Giano 2 ; Kleiman, Brendan 2
HR: McRae, Blake 1
RBI: Jones, Drew 1 ; McRae, Blake 2 ; Zuccaro, Giano 1 ; Kleiman, Brendan 3
SH: Miller, Glenn 1
Base Running:
RUNS: McRae, Blake 2 ; Hugo, Logan 1 ; Zuccaro, Giano 2 ; Johnson, Lucas 2 ; Kleiman, Brendan 1 ; Miller, Glenn 1
SB: Hugo, Logan 1 ; Johnson, Lucas 1
CS: Zuccaro, Giano 1
HBP: Jones, Drew 1 ; Zuccaro, Giano 1 ; Miller, Glenn 1
Batting:
2B: SEPULVEDA, Gabriel 1 ; KUNTZ, Roman 1 ; GOODEN, Nick 1 ; ROBBINS, Hayden 1
RBI: PREECE, Ryley 3 ; SEPULVEDA, Gabriel 1 ; GRABOSCH, Ryan 1 ; GOODEN, Nick 1 ; ROBBINS, Hayden 2
Base Running:
RUNS: BECKER, Colton 1 ; SEPULVEDA, Gabriel 1 ; KUNTZ, Roman 1 ; GRABOSCH, Ryan 1 ; GOODEN, Nick 1 ; GUZMAN, Isaias 1 ; CASTLEMAN, Logan 2
SB: PREECE, Ryley 1
