Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, May 10
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
2 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
19-25, 11-15
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Central Michigan
18-32, 10-16
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Eastern Michigan
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14
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Central Michigan
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Photo by: Scott Beaton - EMU Athletics
Baseball Earns Crucial Win Over Central Michigan, 9-7
5/10/2025 5:14:00 PM | Baseball
Eagles edged Chippewas despite late CMU rally
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team earned a critical Mid-American Conference victory, edging Central Michigan University, 9-7, Saturday, May 10, at Keilitz Field at Theunissen Stadium as the win pushes Eastern one step closer to potentially securing a spot in the MAC Tournament.
Eastern led 8-3 in the seventh inning before late-game dramatics resulted in Drew Norris (Leawood, Kan./Blue Valley/Utah/Johnson C.C.) recording a one-out save via strikeout with the potential winning run at the plate.
Ty Stecko (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin/Mount St. Mary's) paced the Eastern offense with two hits and three RBI in four trips to the plate while senior right-hander Tyler Kapa (Waterford, Mich./Kettering/Alma/Mott C.C./Davenport) (4-5) recorded eight strikeouts over six innings. Central Michigan's Jared Hanson (2-4) was tagged with the loss.
The win shifted the Eagles' record to 19-25 (11-15 MAC), while the Chippewas dropped to 18-32 (10-16 MAC).
How it Happened
Stecko's two-run blast in the second inning put Eastern up, 2-0, as Kapa retired the first eight CMU batters before surrendering a single up the middle to keep the Chippewa offense quiet.
Connor Walsh (Mattawan, Mich./Mattawan) extended the EMU advantage in the fourth with a two-out double to score Brendan Kleiman (Olney, Md./Sherwood/Frederick C.C.) before CMU responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame to cut the Eastern lead to 3-2.
The Eagles added four runs in the fifth, highlighted by a two-run double by Harrison Travis (Soddy Daisy, Tenn./Soddy Daisy/Carson-Newman) and Stecko RBI single. Central scored once in the inning as EMU led 7-3 through six innings.
Stecko's third RBI hit of the day pushed Eastern's lead to 8-3 in seventh prior to CMU scoring the game's subsequent four runs, which included a three-run eighth inning, to make it a one-run game.
Travis blasted a two-out homer in the ninth to provide EMU with a key insurance run before Norris was inserted into a ninth-inning jam as the Chippewas had two runners on the basepaths and two outs. Norris battled back from a 3-1 count to record a strikeout with a full count to secure his first save as an Eagle and even the series.
Game Notes
» Kapa's eight strikeouts marked his fifth outing with at least eight strikeouts this season. He has posted four straight starts with at least seven strikeouts. Kapa leads the MAC with 82 strikeouts, the most by an Eagle in a single season since Luke Russo's 107 in 2023.
» With 14 hits, Eastern eclipsed the 10-hit mark for the 24th time this season. It is 16-8 when doing so.
» Eight of Eastern's nine starters tallied at least one hit while seven different Eagles scored.
» Stecko collected his 15th multi-hit game and 10th game with multiple RBI with three hits and four RBI. He increased his season-long career-best marks to 44 hits, 36 RBI, and 32 runs as he crossed home plate once.
» Stecko's four-RBI performance marks his third game with four RBI this season and his first since April 12, against the University of Toledo.
» Travis' ninth-inning home run marked his ninth of the season.
» With two hits, Travis posted his 12th multi-hit game of the year.
» Travis had three RBI, marking his fourth game with at least a trio of RBI this season as his most recent came against Northern Illinois University, May 2.
» Zirwas recorded two hits for his team-high 18th multi-hit game.
» Zirwas furthered his hitting streak to 11 games, currently serving as the longest on the team. He needs at least one hit in his next two games to surpass his 12-game hitting streak from earlier this season. Should he reach 13 consecutive games with a hit, it would mark the longest hitting streak from an Eagle this season. He also reached base for the 13th consecutive game, the longest streak of reaching base for the Eagles at the moment.
» Hugo recorded the 15th multi-hit game of the season with his two-hit effort. Hugo is up to a career-high 55 hits and 43 runs scored in 2025.
» Cooper Vance (New Waterford, Ohio/Mohawk) recorded one hit. He needs six more hits to reach the 100 mark in his collegiate career.
» Giano Zuccaro's (Middleburg Heights, Ohio/Berea Midpark/Charleston) one hit marked the 189th of his career, he is 11 hits away from reaching the 200 mark.
» Eastern Michigan's highest scoring inning was the fifth, when it pushed four runs across.
» EMU pitchers faced 37 CMU hitters in the game, inducing 14 groundouts and four flyouts while striking out nine.
» Eastern struck out just three times, its fewest in nearly two months. EMU has struck out three times or less four times this season and most recently at Western Michigan University, March 13.
» The Eagles did not draw a walk in the game for the first time since April 20, 2024, against the University of Akron. EMU recorded its first win without a walk since edging CMU, March 28, 2024. Saturday's game marked Eastern's first road win without drawing a walk since May 8, 2021, at Bowling Green State University.
» EMU went error-free for the 15th time this season, moving to 8-7 in such games.
» Eastern out-hit Central, 14-11, improving to 17-8 when out-hitting its foe.
» The Green and White scored at least nine runs for the 21st time this season, improving to 16-5 when doing so.
» Saturday success continued for the Eagles as they improved to 11-5 mark on Saturdays, which includes an impressive 8-3 mark in road games.
» Eastern jumped to 15-12 in road games as its 15 road wins rank third in the MAC.
Historical Notes
» Saturday's game marked the 184th all-time between the Eagles and Chippewas. After the result, EMU holds a 99-85 all-time record against CMU and a 13-29 record when facing it in Mount Pleasant in the modern statistical era (1999-present).
Up Next
The Eagles and Chippewas will run it back for the series finale tomorrow, Sunday, May 11, 1 p.m. Fans can stream the game live and follow along with live stats. The game will serve as the Eagles' first opportunity to claim consecutive Michigan MAC titles in program history as they claimed series-wins over both CMU (March 28-30) and Western Michigan University (March 23-24) last season and have already topped the Broncos in a three-game set, 2-1, earlier this season, March 14-15.
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.
Eastern led 8-3 in the seventh inning before late-game dramatics resulted in Drew Norris (Leawood, Kan./Blue Valley/Utah/Johnson C.C.) recording a one-out save via strikeout with the potential winning run at the plate.
Ty Stecko (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin/Mount St. Mary's) paced the Eastern offense with two hits and three RBI in four trips to the plate while senior right-hander Tyler Kapa (Waterford, Mich./Kettering/Alma/Mott C.C./Davenport) (4-5) recorded eight strikeouts over six innings. Central Michigan's Jared Hanson (2-4) was tagged with the loss.
The win shifted the Eagles' record to 19-25 (11-15 MAC), while the Chippewas dropped to 18-32 (10-16 MAC).
How it Happened
Stecko's two-run blast in the second inning put Eastern up, 2-0, as Kapa retired the first eight CMU batters before surrendering a single up the middle to keep the Chippewa offense quiet.
Connor Walsh (Mattawan, Mich./Mattawan) extended the EMU advantage in the fourth with a two-out double to score Brendan Kleiman (Olney, Md./Sherwood/Frederick C.C.) before CMU responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame to cut the Eastern lead to 3-2.
The Eagles added four runs in the fifth, highlighted by a two-run double by Harrison Travis (Soddy Daisy, Tenn./Soddy Daisy/Carson-Newman) and Stecko RBI single. Central scored once in the inning as EMU led 7-3 through six innings.
Stecko's third RBI hit of the day pushed Eastern's lead to 8-3 in seventh prior to CMU scoring the game's subsequent four runs, which included a three-run eighth inning, to make it a one-run game.
Travis blasted a two-out homer in the ninth to provide EMU with a key insurance run before Norris was inserted into a ninth-inning jam as the Chippewas had two runners on the basepaths and two outs. Norris battled back from a 3-1 count to record a strikeout with a full count to secure his first save as an Eagle and even the series.
Game Notes
» Kapa's eight strikeouts marked his fifth outing with at least eight strikeouts this season. He has posted four straight starts with at least seven strikeouts. Kapa leads the MAC with 82 strikeouts, the most by an Eagle in a single season since Luke Russo's 107 in 2023.
» With 14 hits, Eastern eclipsed the 10-hit mark for the 24th time this season. It is 16-8 when doing so.
» Eight of Eastern's nine starters tallied at least one hit while seven different Eagles scored.
» Stecko collected his 15th multi-hit game and 10th game with multiple RBI with three hits and four RBI. He increased his season-long career-best marks to 44 hits, 36 RBI, and 32 runs as he crossed home plate once.
» Stecko's four-RBI performance marks his third game with four RBI this season and his first since April 12, against the University of Toledo.
» Travis' ninth-inning home run marked his ninth of the season.
» With two hits, Travis posted his 12th multi-hit game of the year.
» Travis had three RBI, marking his fourth game with at least a trio of RBI this season as his most recent came against Northern Illinois University, May 2.
» Zirwas recorded two hits for his team-high 18th multi-hit game.
» Zirwas furthered his hitting streak to 11 games, currently serving as the longest on the team. He needs at least one hit in his next two games to surpass his 12-game hitting streak from earlier this season. Should he reach 13 consecutive games with a hit, it would mark the longest hitting streak from an Eagle this season. He also reached base for the 13th consecutive game, the longest streak of reaching base for the Eagles at the moment.
» Hugo recorded the 15th multi-hit game of the season with his two-hit effort. Hugo is up to a career-high 55 hits and 43 runs scored in 2025.
» Cooper Vance (New Waterford, Ohio/Mohawk) recorded one hit. He needs six more hits to reach the 100 mark in his collegiate career.
» Giano Zuccaro's (Middleburg Heights, Ohio/Berea Midpark/Charleston) one hit marked the 189th of his career, he is 11 hits away from reaching the 200 mark.
» Eastern Michigan's highest scoring inning was the fifth, when it pushed four runs across.
» EMU pitchers faced 37 CMU hitters in the game, inducing 14 groundouts and four flyouts while striking out nine.
» Eastern struck out just three times, its fewest in nearly two months. EMU has struck out three times or less four times this season and most recently at Western Michigan University, March 13.
» The Eagles did not draw a walk in the game for the first time since April 20, 2024, against the University of Akron. EMU recorded its first win without a walk since edging CMU, March 28, 2024. Saturday's game marked Eastern's first road win without drawing a walk since May 8, 2021, at Bowling Green State University.
» EMU went error-free for the 15th time this season, moving to 8-7 in such games.
» Eastern out-hit Central, 14-11, improving to 17-8 when out-hitting its foe.
» The Green and White scored at least nine runs for the 21st time this season, improving to 16-5 when doing so.
» Saturday success continued for the Eagles as they improved to 11-5 mark on Saturdays, which includes an impressive 8-3 mark in road games.
» Eastern jumped to 15-12 in road games as its 15 road wins rank third in the MAC.
Historical Notes
» Saturday's game marked the 184th all-time between the Eagles and Chippewas. After the result, EMU holds a 99-85 all-time record against CMU and a 13-29 record when facing it in Mount Pleasant in the modern statistical era (1999-present).
Up Next
The Eagles and Chippewas will run it back for the series finale tomorrow, Sunday, May 11, 1 p.m. Fans can stream the game live and follow along with live stats. The game will serve as the Eagles' first opportunity to claim consecutive Michigan MAC titles in program history as they claimed series-wins over both CMU (March 28-30) and Western Michigan University (March 23-24) last season and have already topped the Broncos in a three-game set, 2-1, earlier this season, March 14-15.
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 (5-5)
L: Jared Hanson (2-4)
S: Norris, Drew (1)
Batting:
2B: Travis, Harrison 1 ; Zirwas, Devan 2 ; Walsh, Connor 1
HR: Travis, Harrison 1 ; Stecko, Ty 1
RBI: Travis, Harrison 3 ; Stecko, Ty 4 ; Walsh, Connor 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Zuccaro, Giano 1 ; Hugo, Logan 1 ; Travis, Harrison 2 ; Zirwas, Devan 2 ; Stecko, Ty 1 ; Kleiman, Brendan 1 ; Vance, Cooper 1
Batting:
2B: Aaron Piasecki 1 ; Brady Krzciok 1
3B: Mikey Murphy 1 ; Aaron Piasecki 1
RBI: Aaron Piasecki 2 ; Cayden Smith 2 ; Cole Prout 1 ; Rees Campanale 1 ; Zach Knowlton 1
SF: Rees Campanale 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Mikey Murphy 1 ; Aydin Wright 1 ; Brady Krzciok 2 ; Cayden Smith 1 ; Cole Prout 1 ; Zach Knowlton 1
SB: Cayden Smith 1
HBP: Cayden Smith 1
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
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AB
5
R
2
H
2
RBI
3
AB
5
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
RHP
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C
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RHP
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INF
/ Baseball
INF
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OF
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