Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, March 29
Athens, Ohio
12 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
12-11, 7-4
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7-18, 3-8
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Eastern Mich.
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Photo by: Alex Paslawski
Baseball Sweeps Saturday Doubleheader Over Ohio, Captures Third MAC Series Win
3/29/2025 9:56:00 PM | Baseball
The Eagles are 8-4 in MAC play for the first time since 2017 and won a series at Ohio for the first time since 2018
Game One | EMU 9, OU 5
Game Two | EMU 18, OU 13
ATHENS, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team swept a Mid-American Conference (MAC) doubleheader over Ohio University, winning the first game, 9-5, in comeback fashion, before besting Ohio, 18-13 in the series finale Saturday, March 29, at Bob Wren Stadium.
With the doubleheader sweep, the Eagles are off to an 8-4 start in MAC play for the first time since 2017, and captured a series at Ohio for the first time since the 2018 season.
How it Happened – Game One
Pitching and defense shined in the early stages as neither team scored until the third inning.
John Hale (Ashland City, Tenn./Sycamore/Motlow State C.C.) drew first blood as he sacrificed himself with a groundout to first base, sending Connor Walsh (Mattawan, Mich./Mattawan) home from third after reaching via a single.
Ohio returned fire in the bottom half of the inning, scoring one to tie the game as the Bobcats loaded the bases with one out before starter Bobby Jones (Loveland, Ohio/St. Xavier/Xavier) forced a ground ball to second where Walsh, Cooper Vance (New Waterford, Ohio/Mohawk), and Devan Zirwas (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny/VCU) teamed up for the inning-ending double play.
Ohio scored three runs in the fourth, forcing an EMU call to the bullpen as Jones was relieved by Tyler Kapa (Waterford, Mich./Kettering/Alma/Mott C.C./Davenport) after getting the first two outs of the inning.
Ohio added to its lead in the sixth, scoring one run off one single, the only run Kapa allowed in his outing.
Down four entering the ninth, the Eastern offense clutched up with an eight spot in the frame to vault them ahead, 9-5. Ty Stecko (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin/Mount St. Mary's) got the party started with a two-run shot to left, trimming the OU lead to two. Three of the next four EMU batters reached base as Vance stepped to the plate and wore a hit by pitch to score one baserunner before Logan Hugo (Essexville, Mich./Essexville Garber) laced a single to left, scoring two, and giving the Eagles the 6-5 advantage.
Zirwas continued the hot bats, singling to left and scoring Hale, prior to Stecko recording his second extra-base hit of the inning as he capped the scoring with a double to right to score Hugo and Zirwas, bringing the score to 9-5 in favor of the Eastern Green and White.
After getting the first two outs of the ninth, Kapa was relieved by Ethan Davis (Brownstown, Ind./Brownstown Central/Marian/Frontier C.C.) who earned his third save of the season as he forced a flyout to left field for the final out, concluding the game in a 9-5 Eastern victory.
How it Happened – Game Two
The Eastern offense picked up right where it left off from game one as it scored four runs in the first inning and batted around. Zirwas and Brendan Kleiman (Olney, Md./Sherwood/Frederick C.C.) each earned RBI with singles while Walsh capped the inning with a two-RBI double through the left side.
Ohio would get one run back via a lead-off home run in the first off the bat of Matt Ineich.
The EMU offense went back to work in the third, scoring six runs, highlighted by a Hale two-RBI double to left center and a Hugo two-run homer to center field as the Eagles opened up a nine-run lead at 10-1.
Ohio scored two in the bottom half of the frame to trim the Eastern lead to six. After getting his first collegiate start, Fischer Hendershot (Flushing, Mich./Flint Powers) was relieved by sophomore right-hander Niko Kreuzer (Westerville, Ohio/St. Francis Desales) as he went 2.2 innings into the game while striking out one.
Ohio scored a team-high six runs in the fourth, drawing within one run of the Eagles at 10-9.
Eastern answered with six more runs in the fifth, increasing its lead to seven at 16-9. The Eagles scored off four singles, one bases-loaded walk from Zirwas, and one sacrifice fly from Bruce Jellison (Hartland, Mich./Hartland/Wabash Valley).
After finding himself on the mound to get the final out of the inning in the fourth, Drew Norris (Leawood, Kan./Blue Valley/Utah/Johnson C.C.) proceeded to pitch a scoreless 1.1 innings with one strikeout and was eventually credited with the win.
Hale continued his hot day with a solo home run in the sixth and drove in his NCAA Division I career-high fifth RBI of the day via a sacrifice fly, scoring Stecko.
Emmett Gillies (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Hartley/Akron) came in to relieve Michael Pfeiffer (Brownsboro, Ala./Huntsville/Northwest-Shoals C.C./) after getting one out in the eighth. Gillies fended off an Ohio comeback as it scored four runs in the eighth prior to shutting down the Bobcats in the ninth, allowing zero runs to secure the 18-13 win for the Eagles.
Game Notes – Game One
» With the win, Eastern's record improved to 12-11 on the season and 7-4 in MAC play while Ohio fell to 7-18 overall and 4-8 in conference competition.
» Eastern earned its fourth comeback win of the season as it overcame a four-run deficit to win, 9-5. Through 24 games, the Eagles' four comeback wins have already surpassed the three they had all of last season.
» Eastern scored eight runs in the ninth inning for a comeback win, marking the second time it has accomplished the feat this season as it also plated eight in the final frame in a 10-8 comeback win over Western Michigan in the first game of a doubleheader, March 14. Furthermore, Eastern's eight runs tie for the second most this season and marks the third time it has scored eight runs or more in one inning in 2025.
» The win marked the Eagles 12th of the season overall and seventh in MAC play. Through 23 games last season, Eastern posted nine wins. It is just two wins away from equaling its 2024 win total of 14 games.
» Eastern won a game when being out-hit by its opponent for the second time this season. The Eagles were previously out-hit in their 9-8 win at Michigan, March 25.
» With three strikeouts, the Eagles struck out three times or less for the fourth time this season. They are 2-2 in such games.
» Eastern allowed five runs or less for the 10th time this season. It is 8-2 when limiting its opponent to a maximum of five runs.
» Stecko set EMU career highs with four RBI while tying a career-best with two hits. His two hits marked his fourth multi-hit performance this season and his four RBI went down as his third game with at least two driven in.
» Hugo recorded his sixth multi-RBI game of the season, a figure that stands as the second most on the team.
» Zirwas furthered his hitting streak to seven games, currently serving as the longest active streak on the team. He also recorded his 11th multi-hit performance of the season with a 2-for-5 showing from the plate. His 11 multi-hit games paces the Eagles.
» Kapa earned his second win of the season as he pitched five innings in relief fashion, allowing just one earned run, while striking out six, and walking one. Kapa's one run allowed marks his least in an appearance this season and his six strikeouts tied for his second most in a game.
» Davis earned his third save of the season as he got the final out of the game. His three saves lead the Eagles and stands as the fourth most in the conference.
Game Notes – Game Two
» With the win, Eastern's record improved to 13-11 on the season and 8-4 in MAC play while Ohio fell to 7-19 overall and 4-9 in conference competition.
» Eastern set a season high with 19 hits and tied a season best with 18 RBI. Its 18 RBI tied for the most in the Head Coach Robbie Britt era. Additionally, the Eagles' 19 hits stand as the second most in a game in the MAC this season, while its 18 RBI tie for the third most, and 18 runs serve as the fifth most.
» Eastern reached the double-digit mark in runs (18), hits (19), and RBI (18) for the seventh time this season. After the win, it is 6-1 when doing so.
» Eastern out-hit its opponent for the 16th time this season. It is 11-5 when knocking more hits than its competition.
» The win marked the Eagles 13th of the season overall and eighth in MAC play. Through 24 games last season, Eastern posted 10 wins. Eastern is just one win away from equaling its 2024 win total of 14 games.
» Hale posted NCAA Division I career highs with four hits and five RBI. His five RBI and four hits both rank as the second most from an individual in the MAC this season. Hale also homered for the third time this season.
» Hugo homered for the seventh time this season, a figure that leads the team and stands as the fifth most in the MAC. His two RBI in game two brought his season total to 30, matching the career high number he set in 46 games last season just 24 games into the 2025 campaign. He is also just three home runs away from tying his career high of 10 from 2024.
» Norris earned his second win of the season and pitched his fourth scoreless outing. Norris has limited his opponent to zero runs in four of his eight appearances.
» Gillies tossed a scoreless 1.2 innings outing. He has allowed just one run in his four appearances (4.2 innings pitched) this season.
» Walsh tied a career best with three RBI as he went 2-for-4 from the plate. The freshman previously drove in three in the Eagles' 14-6 win over Central Arkansas, Feb. 23. The outing marked his fifth multi-hit game and fourth with multiple RBI.
» Zirwas furthered his hitting streak to eight games, currently serving as the longest active streak on the team. He also recorded his 12th multi-hit and 10th multi-RBI performance of the season with a 2-for-5 showing from the plate with two RBI. His 12 multi-hit and 10 multi-RBI games both pace the Eagles.
» Stecko's three hits marked an EMU career best for the utility man.
» Harrison Travis (Soddy Daisy, Tenn./Soddy Daisy/Carson-Newman) set an EMU career high with three hits, marking his fourth game with multiple hits.
Historical Notes – Game One
» The first game of the doubleheader marked the 142nd all-time between the Eagles and Bobcats. After the win, the Eagles hold a one-game edge in the series at 72-71, they also now hold a 14-20 record when facing Ohio in Athens.
» With his six strikeouts, Kapa surpassed the 100-strikeout total for his NCAA career as he now totals 103.
» The win marked the Eagles' first win in Athens since the 2018 season and snapped a nine-game losing streak in the city.
» Eastern won a game when being out-hit by at least seven for the first time since the 2018 season when it topped Northern Illinois, 4-2, after being out-hit, 12-5.
Historical Notes – Game Two
» The second game of the doubleheader marked the 143rd all-time between the Eagles and Bobcats. After the win, the Eagles hold a two-game edge in the series at 73-71, they also now hold a 15-20 record when facing Ohio in Athens.
» The MAC series win marked Eastern's third conference-series win of the season as it is off to a 8-4 start in MAC play for the first time since the 2017 season, a year that saw the Eagles finish as the MAC Tournament Runner Ups.
» The series win over the Bobcats is the Eagles' first since the 2018 season when they took 2-of-3 from Ohio in Athens, April 13-14.
Up Next
The Eagles will complete their home-and-home series against the Michigan Wolverines as they will face UM at Oestrike Stadium in Ypsilanti, Mich. Tuesday, April 1, 3 p.m., presented by Meijer. The game will be streamed live 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.
Game Two | EMU 18, OU 13
ATHENS, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team swept a Mid-American Conference (MAC) doubleheader over Ohio University, winning the first game, 9-5, in comeback fashion, before besting Ohio, 18-13 in the series finale Saturday, March 29, at Bob Wren Stadium.
With the doubleheader sweep, the Eagles are off to an 8-4 start in MAC play for the first time since 2017, and captured a series at Ohio for the first time since the 2018 season.
How it Happened – Game One
Pitching and defense shined in the early stages as neither team scored until the third inning.
John Hale (Ashland City, Tenn./Sycamore/Motlow State C.C.) drew first blood as he sacrificed himself with a groundout to first base, sending Connor Walsh (Mattawan, Mich./Mattawan) home from third after reaching via a single.
Ohio returned fire in the bottom half of the inning, scoring one to tie the game as the Bobcats loaded the bases with one out before starter Bobby Jones (Loveland, Ohio/St. Xavier/Xavier) forced a ground ball to second where Walsh, Cooper Vance (New Waterford, Ohio/Mohawk), and Devan Zirwas (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny/VCU) teamed up for the inning-ending double play.
Ohio scored three runs in the fourth, forcing an EMU call to the bullpen as Jones was relieved by Tyler Kapa (Waterford, Mich./Kettering/Alma/Mott C.C./Davenport) after getting the first two outs of the inning.
Ohio added to its lead in the sixth, scoring one run off one single, the only run Kapa allowed in his outing.
Down four entering the ninth, the Eastern offense clutched up with an eight spot in the frame to vault them ahead, 9-5. Ty Stecko (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin/Mount St. Mary's) got the party started with a two-run shot to left, trimming the OU lead to two. Three of the next four EMU batters reached base as Vance stepped to the plate and wore a hit by pitch to score one baserunner before Logan Hugo (Essexville, Mich./Essexville Garber) laced a single to left, scoring two, and giving the Eagles the 6-5 advantage.
Zirwas continued the hot bats, singling to left and scoring Hale, prior to Stecko recording his second extra-base hit of the inning as he capped the scoring with a double to right to score Hugo and Zirwas, bringing the score to 9-5 in favor of the Eastern Green and White.
After getting the first two outs of the ninth, Kapa was relieved by Ethan Davis (Brownstown, Ind./Brownstown Central/Marian/Frontier C.C.) who earned his third save of the season as he forced a flyout to left field for the final out, concluding the game in a 9-5 Eastern victory.
How it Happened – Game Two
The Eastern offense picked up right where it left off from game one as it scored four runs in the first inning and batted around. Zirwas and Brendan Kleiman (Olney, Md./Sherwood/Frederick C.C.) each earned RBI with singles while Walsh capped the inning with a two-RBI double through the left side.
Ohio would get one run back via a lead-off home run in the first off the bat of Matt Ineich.
The EMU offense went back to work in the third, scoring six runs, highlighted by a Hale two-RBI double to left center and a Hugo two-run homer to center field as the Eagles opened up a nine-run lead at 10-1.
Ohio scored two in the bottom half of the frame to trim the Eastern lead to six. After getting his first collegiate start, Fischer Hendershot (Flushing, Mich./Flint Powers) was relieved by sophomore right-hander Niko Kreuzer (Westerville, Ohio/St. Francis Desales) as he went 2.2 innings into the game while striking out one.
Ohio scored a team-high six runs in the fourth, drawing within one run of the Eagles at 10-9.
Eastern answered with six more runs in the fifth, increasing its lead to seven at 16-9. The Eagles scored off four singles, one bases-loaded walk from Zirwas, and one sacrifice fly from Bruce Jellison (Hartland, Mich./Hartland/Wabash Valley).
After finding himself on the mound to get the final out of the inning in the fourth, Drew Norris (Leawood, Kan./Blue Valley/Utah/Johnson C.C.) proceeded to pitch a scoreless 1.1 innings with one strikeout and was eventually credited with the win.
Hale continued his hot day with a solo home run in the sixth and drove in his NCAA Division I career-high fifth RBI of the day via a sacrifice fly, scoring Stecko.
Emmett Gillies (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Hartley/Akron) came in to relieve Michael Pfeiffer (Brownsboro, Ala./Huntsville/Northwest-Shoals C.C./) after getting one out in the eighth. Gillies fended off an Ohio comeback as it scored four runs in the eighth prior to shutting down the Bobcats in the ninth, allowing zero runs to secure the 18-13 win for the Eagles.
Game Notes – Game One
» With the win, Eastern's record improved to 12-11 on the season and 7-4 in MAC play while Ohio fell to 7-18 overall and 4-8 in conference competition.
» Eastern earned its fourth comeback win of the season as it overcame a four-run deficit to win, 9-5. Through 24 games, the Eagles' four comeback wins have already surpassed the three they had all of last season.
» Eastern scored eight runs in the ninth inning for a comeback win, marking the second time it has accomplished the feat this season as it also plated eight in the final frame in a 10-8 comeback win over Western Michigan in the first game of a doubleheader, March 14. Furthermore, Eastern's eight runs tie for the second most this season and marks the third time it has scored eight runs or more in one inning in 2025.
» The win marked the Eagles 12th of the season overall and seventh in MAC play. Through 23 games last season, Eastern posted nine wins. It is just two wins away from equaling its 2024 win total of 14 games.
» Eastern won a game when being out-hit by its opponent for the second time this season. The Eagles were previously out-hit in their 9-8 win at Michigan, March 25.
» With three strikeouts, the Eagles struck out three times or less for the fourth time this season. They are 2-2 in such games.
» Eastern allowed five runs or less for the 10th time this season. It is 8-2 when limiting its opponent to a maximum of five runs.
» Stecko set EMU career highs with four RBI while tying a career-best with two hits. His two hits marked his fourth multi-hit performance this season and his four RBI went down as his third game with at least two driven in.
» Hugo recorded his sixth multi-RBI game of the season, a figure that stands as the second most on the team.
» Zirwas furthered his hitting streak to seven games, currently serving as the longest active streak on the team. He also recorded his 11th multi-hit performance of the season with a 2-for-5 showing from the plate. His 11 multi-hit games paces the Eagles.
» Kapa earned his second win of the season as he pitched five innings in relief fashion, allowing just one earned run, while striking out six, and walking one. Kapa's one run allowed marks his least in an appearance this season and his six strikeouts tied for his second most in a game.
» Davis earned his third save of the season as he got the final out of the game. His three saves lead the Eagles and stands as the fourth most in the conference.
Game Notes – Game Two
» With the win, Eastern's record improved to 13-11 on the season and 8-4 in MAC play while Ohio fell to 7-19 overall and 4-9 in conference competition.
» Eastern set a season high with 19 hits and tied a season best with 18 RBI. Its 18 RBI tied for the most in the Head Coach Robbie Britt era. Additionally, the Eagles' 19 hits stand as the second most in a game in the MAC this season, while its 18 RBI tie for the third most, and 18 runs serve as the fifth most.
» Eastern reached the double-digit mark in runs (18), hits (19), and RBI (18) for the seventh time this season. After the win, it is 6-1 when doing so.
» Eastern out-hit its opponent for the 16th time this season. It is 11-5 when knocking more hits than its competition.
» The win marked the Eagles 13th of the season overall and eighth in MAC play. Through 24 games last season, Eastern posted 10 wins. Eastern is just one win away from equaling its 2024 win total of 14 games.
» Hale posted NCAA Division I career highs with four hits and five RBI. His five RBI and four hits both rank as the second most from an individual in the MAC this season. Hale also homered for the third time this season.
» Hugo homered for the seventh time this season, a figure that leads the team and stands as the fifth most in the MAC. His two RBI in game two brought his season total to 30, matching the career high number he set in 46 games last season just 24 games into the 2025 campaign. He is also just three home runs away from tying his career high of 10 from 2024.
» Norris earned his second win of the season and pitched his fourth scoreless outing. Norris has limited his opponent to zero runs in four of his eight appearances.
» Gillies tossed a scoreless 1.2 innings outing. He has allowed just one run in his four appearances (4.2 innings pitched) this season.
» Walsh tied a career best with three RBI as he went 2-for-4 from the plate. The freshman previously drove in three in the Eagles' 14-6 win over Central Arkansas, Feb. 23. The outing marked his fifth multi-hit game and fourth with multiple RBI.
» Zirwas furthered his hitting streak to eight games, currently serving as the longest active streak on the team. He also recorded his 12th multi-hit and 10th multi-RBI performance of the season with a 2-for-5 showing from the plate with two RBI. His 12 multi-hit and 10 multi-RBI games both pace the Eagles.
» Stecko's three hits marked an EMU career best for the utility man.
» Harrison Travis (Soddy Daisy, Tenn./Soddy Daisy/Carson-Newman) set an EMU career high with three hits, marking his fourth game with multiple hits.
Historical Notes – Game One
» The first game of the doubleheader marked the 142nd all-time between the Eagles and Bobcats. After the win, the Eagles hold a one-game edge in the series at 72-71, they also now hold a 14-20 record when facing Ohio in Athens.
» With his six strikeouts, Kapa surpassed the 100-strikeout total for his NCAA career as he now totals 103.
» The win marked the Eagles' first win in Athens since the 2018 season and snapped a nine-game losing streak in the city.
» Eastern won a game when being out-hit by at least seven for the first time since the 2018 season when it topped Northern Illinois, 4-2, after being out-hit, 12-5.
Historical Notes – Game Two
» The second game of the doubleheader marked the 143rd all-time between the Eagles and Bobcats. After the win, the Eagles hold a two-game edge in the series at 73-71, they also now hold a 15-20 record when facing Ohio in Athens.
» The MAC series win marked Eastern's third conference-series win of the season as it is off to a 8-4 start in MAC play for the first time since the 2017 season, a year that saw the Eagles finish as the MAC Tournament Runner Ups.
» The series win over the Bobcats is the Eagles' first since the 2018 season when they took 2-of-3 from Ohio in Athens, April 13-14.
Up Next
The Eagles will complete their home-and-home series against the Michigan Wolverines as they will face UM at Oestrike Stadium in Ypsilanti, Mich. Tuesday, April 1, 3 p.m., presented by Meijer. The game will be streamed live 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: Kapa, Tyler (2-3)
L: D. Eggl (2-5)
S: Davis, Ethan (3)
Batting:
2B: Stecko, Ty 1 ; Vance, Cooper 1
HR: Stecko, Ty 1
RBI: Hale, John 1 ; Hugo, Logan 2 ; Zirwas, Devan 1 ; Stecko, Ty 4 ; Vance, Cooper 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hale, John 1 ; Hugo, Logan 1 ; Zirwas, Devan 2 ; Stecko, Ty 1 ; Krill, Kevin 1 ; Walsh, Connor 2 ; Vance, Cooper 1
HBP: Zuccaro, Giano 1 ; Walsh, Connor 1 ; Vance, Cooper 1
Batting:
2B: N. Dolan 1 ; D. Shepherd 1
RBI: M. Ineich 1 ; J. Nelson 2 ; T. Neuer 1
Base Running:
RUNS: N. Dolan 1 ; J. Cauthron 1 ; D. Shepherd 2 ; T. Neuer 1
SB: N. Dolan 1 ; J. Cauthron 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
5
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
AB
5
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
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RHP
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/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballScout day✅
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