Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, March 28
Athens, Ohio
3:35 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
11-11, 6-4
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Baseball Drops Pitchers' Duel to Ohio, 4-3
3/28/2025 7:54:00 PM | Baseball
Drew Beckner shined, retiring the first 14 batters he faced and taking a perfect-game bid into the fifth inning
ATHENS, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team dropped the first game of a three-game Mid-American Conference series in a back-and-forth affair, falling on the road to Ohio University, 4-3, at Bob Wren Stadium Friday, March 28.
Senior left-hander Drew Beckner (Westerville, Ohio/Big Walnut/Charleston) shined on the mound as he started the game red hot, retiring the first 14 batters he faced and taking a perfect-game bid into the fifth inning.
Offensively, junior outfielder John Hale (Ashland, City, Tenn./Sycamore/Motlow State C.C.) paced the Eagles as he turned in his ninth multi-hit game with a 2-for-4 performance from the dish with one RBI. Pitching wise, Ohio sophomore Jack Geiser was credited with the win while Drew Norris (Leawood, Kan./Blue Valley/Utah/Johnson C.C.) was tagged with the loss.
With the result, the Eagles' record shifts to 6-4 in MAC play (11-11 overall) while Ohio's improved to 3-7 in conference action and 7-17 overall.
How it Happened
After having just one baserunner in the first three innings, the Eagles took the lead and scored the first run of the game as Hale hit his first single of the game to score Giano Zuccaro (Middleburg Heights, Ohio/Berea Midpark/Charleston).
Eastern added one to its lead in the fifth when Bruce Jellison (Hartland, Mich./Hartland/Wabash Valley) took a bases-loaded hit by pitch, scoring Cooper Vance (New Waterford, Ohio/Mohawk) to take the 2-0 edge.
Beckner shined throughout the day as he retired the first 14 batters he faced, took a perfect-game bid into the fifth inning, and didn't allow a run till the sixth inning. Beckner was relieved by Norris in the sixth after another productive outing, allowing three runs off four hits while striking out five and walking two.
Freshman infielder Connor Walsh (Mattawan, Mich./Mattawan) evened the score at three apiece, recording his 14th RBI of the season with a single to left field to score Brendan Kleiman (Olney, Md./Sherwood/Frederick C.C.).
Junior right-hander Ethan Davis (Brownstown, Ind./Brownstown Central/Marian/Frontier C.C.) entered the game to relieve Norris after he forced flyouts from the first two batters of the inning, and allowed the third to reach via a single. The runner on first proceeded to steal second, bringing the go-ahead run to scoring position. The Bobcats singled in the next at-bat to score the runner from second and take a 4-3 edge.
Devan Zirwas (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny/VCU) reached via a single in the ninth, but the Eagles failed to match Ohio's total as the game ended in a 4-3 win for the Bobcats.
Game Notes
» Eastern held its opponent under five runs for the fifth time this season. This typically bodes well for the Eagles' as they are 4-1 when allowing less than five scores.
» The game tied for Eastern's lowest scoring game of the season as there were just seven runs between the two teams, tying the total scored between EMU and Presbyterian College in the first game of a seven-inning doubleheader, March 1.
» Jellison drove in his 14th run of the season. He is tied with Walsh for the fifth most on the team. He also reached base for the 19th consecutive game, marking the longest streak of reaching base by any Eagle this season.
» With one hit, Zirwas furthered his hitting streak to six games, currently serving as the longest on the team. He also holds the longest all season, as he reached base in 12 straight games via a hit, Feb. 22-March 14.
» Eastern pitching did not allow an extra base hit for the second time this season and fourth time in the Head Coach Robbie Britt era. Eastern previously didn't allow an extra-base hit in its 5-3 win over Presbyterian, March 1. Overall, EMU is 2-2 when not allowing an extra-base knock under Britt.
Historical Notes
» Friday's game marked the 142nd all-time between the Eagles and Bobcats. After the OU win, the series is tied at 71 wins apiece as the Eagles now hold a 13-20 record when facing Ohio in Athens.
» Beckner's 14 consecutive batters retired from the first through the fifth inning are the most batters retired consecutively by an Eagle this season and the most since Luke Russo sat down 17 straight in an 8-1 win over Miami, April 9, 2023.
Up Next
The Eagles and Bobcats will conclude the series with a doubleheader tomorrow, March 29, beginning at 12 p.m. Game two will begin roughly 30-45 minutes after the conclusion of the first Both games will be streamed on ESPN+.
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) and emu_baseball on Instagram.
Senior left-hander Drew Beckner (Westerville, Ohio/Big Walnut/Charleston) shined on the mound as he started the game red hot, retiring the first 14 batters he faced and taking a perfect-game bid into the fifth inning.
Offensively, junior outfielder John Hale (Ashland, City, Tenn./Sycamore/Motlow State C.C.) paced the Eagles as he turned in his ninth multi-hit game with a 2-for-4 performance from the dish with one RBI. Pitching wise, Ohio sophomore Jack Geiser was credited with the win while Drew Norris (Leawood, Kan./Blue Valley/Utah/Johnson C.C.) was tagged with the loss.
With the result, the Eagles' record shifts to 6-4 in MAC play (11-11 overall) while Ohio's improved to 3-7 in conference action and 7-17 overall.
How it Happened
After having just one baserunner in the first three innings, the Eagles took the lead and scored the first run of the game as Hale hit his first single of the game to score Giano Zuccaro (Middleburg Heights, Ohio/Berea Midpark/Charleston).
Eastern added one to its lead in the fifth when Bruce Jellison (Hartland, Mich./Hartland/Wabash Valley) took a bases-loaded hit by pitch, scoring Cooper Vance (New Waterford, Ohio/Mohawk) to take the 2-0 edge.
Beckner shined throughout the day as he retired the first 14 batters he faced, took a perfect-game bid into the fifth inning, and didn't allow a run till the sixth inning. Beckner was relieved by Norris in the sixth after another productive outing, allowing three runs off four hits while striking out five and walking two.
Freshman infielder Connor Walsh (Mattawan, Mich./Mattawan) evened the score at three apiece, recording his 14th RBI of the season with a single to left field to score Brendan Kleiman (Olney, Md./Sherwood/Frederick C.C.).
Junior right-hander Ethan Davis (Brownstown, Ind./Brownstown Central/Marian/Frontier C.C.) entered the game to relieve Norris after he forced flyouts from the first two batters of the inning, and allowed the third to reach via a single. The runner on first proceeded to steal second, bringing the go-ahead run to scoring position. The Bobcats singled in the next at-bat to score the runner from second and take a 4-3 edge.
Devan Zirwas (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny/VCU) reached via a single in the ninth, but the Eagles failed to match Ohio's total as the game ended in a 4-3 win for the Bobcats.
Game Notes
» Eastern held its opponent under five runs for the fifth time this season. This typically bodes well for the Eagles' as they are 4-1 when allowing less than five scores.
» The game tied for Eastern's lowest scoring game of the season as there were just seven runs between the two teams, tying the total scored between EMU and Presbyterian College in the first game of a seven-inning doubleheader, March 1.
» Jellison drove in his 14th run of the season. He is tied with Walsh for the fifth most on the team. He also reached base for the 19th consecutive game, marking the longest streak of reaching base by any Eagle this season.
» With one hit, Zirwas furthered his hitting streak to six games, currently serving as the longest on the team. He also holds the longest all season, as he reached base in 12 straight games via a hit, Feb. 22-March 14.
» Eastern pitching did not allow an extra base hit for the second time this season and fourth time in the Head Coach Robbie Britt era. Eastern previously didn't allow an extra-base hit in its 5-3 win over Presbyterian, March 1. Overall, EMU is 2-2 when not allowing an extra-base knock under Britt.
Historical Notes
» Friday's game marked the 142nd all-time between the Eagles and Bobcats. After the OU win, the series is tied at 71 wins apiece as the Eagles now hold a 13-20 record when facing Ohio in Athens.
» Beckner's 14 consecutive batters retired from the first through the fifth inning are the most batters retired consecutively by an Eagle this season and the most since Luke Russo sat down 17 straight in an 8-1 win over Miami, April 9, 2023.
Up Next
The Eagles and Bobcats will conclude the series with a doubleheader tomorrow, March 29, beginning at 12 p.m. Game two will begin roughly 30-45 minutes after the conclusion of the first Both games will be streamed on ESPN+.
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) and emu_baseball on Instagram.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: J. Geiser (1-1)
L: Norris, Drew (1-2)
Batting:
RBI: Hale, John 1 ; Jellison, Bruce 1 ; Walsh, Connor 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kleiman, Brendan 1 ; Zuccaro, Giano 1 ; Vance, Cooper 1
SB: Hugo, Logan 1
CS: Hale, John 1
HBP: Hale, John 1 ; Jellison, Bruce 1 ; Schechterman, Ben 1 ; Zuccaro, Giano 1
Batting:
RBI: J. Nelson 1 ; P. Mancino 1 ; N. Dolan 1
SF: P. Mancino 1
Base Running:
RUNS: M. Ineich 1 ; P. Mancino 1 ; B. Reed 1 ; T. Neuer 1
SB: P. Mancino 1
Game Leaders
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Players Mentioned
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