Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
3-8
Houston Christian
7-6
Taylor Strings Together 3 Hits in Eastern's Loss to Houston Christian
3/2/2024 7:19:00 PM | Baseball
The Eagles next take on the Vanderbilt Commodores, Tuesday, March 5, at 4:30 p.m. CT (5:30 p.m. ET)
HOUSTON, Texas (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team fell to the Houston Christian University Huskies, 8-4, Saturday, March 2, in the finale of a four-game series. With the result, EMU stands at 3-8 (0-0 MAC) on the season, while the Huskies shift to 7-6 (0-0 SLC).
How it Happened
The Eagles put runs on the scoreboard first, starting the scoring in the second inning. Cory Taylor (Shelbyville, Ind./Shelbyville) put Eastern Michigan on the board with a one-out solo home run off junior Jett Feltman.
The Huskies then rallied to score two runs and take a 2-1 lead before the Eagles got back on the board in the fifth. Eastern Michigan scored twice on Cooper Vance's (New Waterford, Ohio/Mohawk) two-run homer, which brought the Eagles lead to 3-2.
Eastern Michigan's lead disappeared once the sixth inning arrived and turned into a 6-3 Houston Christian advantage. The Eagles cut that deficit to 6-4 on an RBI triple off the bat of Taylor, scoring junior Giano Zuccaro (Middleburg Heights, Ohio/Berea Midpark/Charleston) from first.
The Eagles were unable to get any closer, as Houston Christian added two runs to their tally on the way to an 8-4 final.
Game Notes
» Taylor sent a solo shot out to left field in the second, putting the Eagles on top, 1-0. The homer marked Taylor's first of the season, and Eastern's 10th as a team. It also took last season's team 11 games to hit the double-digit mark in home runs, coming in an 8-7 win over the University of Akron, March 10, 2023.
» Vance homered for the third time this season, sending a two-run blast to left field. The homer ties the sophomore with teammate Kyle Schroedle (Redding, Calif./University Prep/Crown College) for the most on the team. Finishing the day with two RBIs, Vance increased his team-lead in RBIs as he now has 12 on the season, four more than the second most on the squad. Moreover, Vance's 12 RBIs currently rank as the fourth most in the conference.
» Taylor would triple in the sixth, scoring Zuccaro for his second RBI of the day. Finishing the day 3-for-4 from the plate, Taylor secured his first multi-RBI day of the season, along with his second multi-hit outing, and first three-hit performance of the season. Additionally, the senior's three knocks mark his second time doing so in his career. Also, with a triple and home run in today's contest, Taylor is the first Eagle to record a three-bagger and homer in the same game this season, and the first to do so since Schroedle hit for the cycle against Northern Illinois University, May 19, 2023.
» Darren Kraft (Mount Pleasant, S.C./Oceanside Collegiate Academy) secured his second extra-base hit and first double of the season, as he sent a two-bagger to left field in the Eagles' half of the fifth inning. Kraft would single in the ninth, marking his second multi-hit game of the season, and the 12th of his career.
» Mat Sanfilippo (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder/Niagara C.C.) saw his first appearance on the mound for the Eagles, relieving Chittum after six innings of work.
» For the first time this season, EMU homered multiple times and lost. Its previous two occurrences with multiple home runs each ended in victories. The Eagles previously sent three beyond the wall in their 16-6 win over Belmont University, Feb. 18, and went yard twice in their 7-4 victory at the University of Southern Indiana, Feb. 24.
» The Eagles were out-hit by their opponent for just the third time this season. Through 11 games played, Eastern has recorded more hits than its foe in 8-of-11 contests.
Historical Notes
» Today's contest marked the fourth all-time between the Eagles and Huskies. After today's result, the Huskies remain in the series lead, 3-1.
Up Next
The Eagles will return to Nashville, Tenn., for the second time this season as they are set to take on the No. 9 ranked Vanderbilt University Commodores Tuesday, March 5, at 4:30 p.m. CT (5 p.m. ET). The game will be broadcast live on the SEC Network +.
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: Feltman, Jett (2-0)
L: Chittum, Nick (1-2)
S: Diaz, Christian (1)
Batting:
2B: Kraft, Darren 1
3B: Taylor, Cory 1
HR: Vance, Cooper 1 ; Taylor, Cory 1
RBI: Vance, Cooper 2 ; Taylor, Cory 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Vance, Cooper 1 ; Zuccaro, Giano 1 ; Taylor, Cory 1 ; Kraft, Darren 1
HBP: Hugo, Logan 1 ; Zuccaro, Giano 1 ; Kraft, Darren 1
Batting:
2B: Benjamin, Samuel 1 ; Hodge, Ty 1
HR: Benjamin, Samuel 1 ; LaRue, Tyler 1
RBI: Sparks, Lane 1 ; Benjamin, Samuel 1 ; LaRue, Tyler 4 ; Hodge, Ty 2
SF: Sparks, Lane 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Benjamin, Samuel 3 ; LaRue, Tyler 1 ; Jewell, William 1 ; Hodge, Ty 1 ; Bard, Luke 1 ; Laxton, Graham 1
SB: Sparks, Lane 1 ; Jewell, William 1
