Eastern Michigan Athletics
Thursday, May 15
Ypsilanti, Mich.
3 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
20-27, 0
12
vs
11
Kent State
35-16, 0
1
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4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
R
H
E
Kent State
0
1
0
1
1
1
0
1
2
0
0
4
11
12
4
Eastern Michigan
0
1
0
0
0
1
4
1
0
0
0
5
12
15
2
Photo by: Steven King/Steve King Studios
Vance's 12th-Inning Walk-Off Homer Seals Baseball's 12-11 Comeback Win Over Kent State
5/15/2025 10:09:00 PM | Baseball
The Eagles now hold sole possession of the sixth and final MAC Tournament spot
Video Highlights | Postgame Interview | Photo Gallery
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Junior infielder Cooper Vance sent a no-doubter over the left field wall of Oestrike Stadium to complete a four-run extra-innings comeback as the Eastern Michigan University baseball team earned a critical 12-11 Mid-American Conference win over Kent State University in 12 innings, giving the Eagles sole possession of the sixth and final MAC Tournament spot with just two games remaining in the regular season.
John Hale (Ashland City, Tenn./Sycamore/Motlow State C.C.) and Harrison Travis (Soddy Daisy, Tenn./Soddy Daisy/Carson-Newman) led the Eagles' offense as Hale posted a 3-for-6 day at the plate with all three hits going for extra-bases (two doubles, one home run) while driving in three runs. Travis knocked four hits, drove in two runs, and grabbed his 10th home run of the season as he kicked off Eastern's 12th-inning comeback with a solo shot to left field.
Senior right-handed pitcher Dom Anderson (Hagerstown, Ind./Hagerstown) got the start and went a season-long 4.1 innings on the mound, while freshman righty Cal Rutherford (Canton, Mich./Detroit Catholic Central) (2-0) earned the win as he entered the game to get the final out of the top of the 12th via the strikeout. Kent State's Jordan Kolenda (2-2) was tagged with the loss.
How it Happened
Kent State drew first blood as it smashed a solo homer on a 2-0 count to take the 1-0 lead in the top of the second. Eastern punched back in the bottom half of the inning as Hale drove in Bruce Jellison (Hartland, Mich./Hartland/Wabash Valley) from second to even the score at one.
The Golden Flashes added one run to their total with their second solo home run of the day in the top of the fourth to regain the lead at 2-1.
In the top of the fifth, Michael Pfeiffer (Brownsboro, Ala./Huntsville/Nothwest-Shoals C.C.) entered to relieve Anderson after a season-long 4.1 inning stint on the bump where he allowed three runs (two earned) off four hits while striking out one and walking two. Kent state grew its lead to two in the frame as they plated one off a sacrifice flyout to center field, bringing the score to 3-1.
KSU grabbed one more in the top of the sixth, scoring a runner from second base off a single up the middle to increase its advantage to three at 4-1.
Eastern scored one run in the sixth as Jellison scored Logan Hugo (Essexville, Mich./Essexville Garber) from third off a sacrifice fly to center field, marking Jellison's eighth sacrifice fly of the season, a number that ranks second in the MAC and sixth in the country.
Pfeiffer and junior right-hander Ethan Davis (Brownstown, Ind./Brownstown Central/Marian/Frontier C.C.) combined to shutdown the Golden Flashes in the seventh before the EMU offense scored four runs in the ensuing half inning to take a 6-4 advantage. The inning was highlighted by a Hugo RBI-single that plated two base runners.
The two teams traded runs in the eighth as KSU scored one in the top half before Hale sent his fourth home run of the year over the wall to add a key insurance run to make the score 7-5, Eastern, headed into the ninth.
Kent State knocked a two-run shot to tie it in the top of the ninth, and the Eagles were unable to score in the bottom half, sending the game into extra innings tied at seven.
Kent State soared ahead with four runs in the 11th, putting Eastern in a four-run hole at 11-7. Travis led the frame off with a solo home run, his tenth of the season to pull within one run closer, 11-8. After Lucas Johnson (Hamilton, Ontario/Westdale Secondary/Wright State) and Hale drove in a pair of Eagles to draw within two runs of KSU's total, Vance smashed a no-doubter to left field to complete the comeback, breathing life into the Eagles' MAC Tournament chances as they currently hold sole possession of the sixth and final spot with two conference games remaining, but have just a one game lead on rivals Western Michigan and Central Michigan.
Game Notes
» The walk-off win was the Eagles' first of the season. It also marked the sixth comeback win of the year.
» Eastern posted double-digits in runs (12), hits (15), and RBI (11) for the 13th time this season. It posts an 11-2 record when doing so.
» With 15 hits, Eastern reached the double-digit hits mark for the 27th time this season. It is 17-10 when doing so. The Eagles also out-hit the Golden Flashes, 15-12, marking the 28th time they have out-hit their opponent, posting a 18-10 in such scenarios.
» Eastern came back to win after being down following the conclusion of the sixth inning for the third time this season. The Eagles last accomplished the feat against Ohio, March 29. They entered the seventh down, 5-1, but won, 9-5.
» The game marked the Eagles' 18th with multiple home runs and sixth with at least three. EMU is now 4-2 when hitting at least four bombs.
» Hale's home run marked his fourth of the season and the team's 55th. He recorded his 13th multi-hit game of the season and sixth multi-RBI performance. His three extra-base hits performance marked the first of his NCAA Division I career. Additionally, his three extra-base hit day is the third occasion of an Eagle doing so this season. Hugo has the most extra-base knocks in one game as he totaled two doubles and left the yard twice in a 19-12 win over Miami, March 22.
» The Eagles are expected to have to win at least one more game to clinch a MAC Tournament berth.
» Zirwas notched his team-high 20th multi-hit game and fifth with three hits.
» Zirwas continued his hitting streak to 14 games, the longest hitting streak of the season for Eastern. He also reached base for the 16th consecutive game, currently serving as the longest streak of reaching base on the team.
» Travis set an NCAA Division I career-best with four hits, marking his 14th multi-hit game and the sixth time an Eagle has posted four knocks in a single game this year. His two RBI went down as his 10th time driving in multiple runs.
» Vance posted his 13th multi-hit outing with two knocks and career-best sixth home run of the season.
Historical Notes
» Eastern walked-off Kent State at home for just the second time in the modern statistical era. The first time came off a Taylor Hopkins homer in the 2021 season, as the eagles won 5-4, May 28. Vance's walk-off homer marked the Eagles' first since Matt Kirk walked-off Toledo in a 12-11 decision, April 23, 2023.
» The walk-off home run was the first in the Head Coach Robbie Britt era.
» Zirwas posted his 20th two-bagger of the season. He is now tied with Lee Longo (2014) for the seventh-most in a single season in Eastern history. He is the eighth player in program history to record at least 20 doubles, and has the most since 2022 MAC Player of the Year Matt Kirk hit 24 in the 2023 season.
» Vance is just three hits away from reaching 100 in his career as he currently posts 97.
» The game marked the 133rd between Kent State and Eastern Michigan. The Eagles are now 50-83 against KSU with a 5-21 mark when facing it at Oestrike Stadium in the modern statistical era (1999-present).
Up Next
The Eagles and Golden Flashes are back for game two of the three-game set tomorrow, May 16, 2 p.m. The game will serve as Eastern's 1975-76 College World Series 50th-Anniversary Celebration & Alumni Day as there will be a pre-game on-field recognition of all alumni in attendance at roughly 1:45 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) and emu_baseball on Instagram.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Junior infielder Cooper Vance sent a no-doubter over the left field wall of Oestrike Stadium to complete a four-run extra-innings comeback as the Eastern Michigan University baseball team earned a critical 12-11 Mid-American Conference win over Kent State University in 12 innings, giving the Eagles sole possession of the sixth and final MAC Tournament spot with just two games remaining in the regular season.
John Hale (Ashland City, Tenn./Sycamore/Motlow State C.C.) and Harrison Travis (Soddy Daisy, Tenn./Soddy Daisy/Carson-Newman) led the Eagles' offense as Hale posted a 3-for-6 day at the plate with all three hits going for extra-bases (two doubles, one home run) while driving in three runs. Travis knocked four hits, drove in two runs, and grabbed his 10th home run of the season as he kicked off Eastern's 12th-inning comeback with a solo shot to left field.
Senior right-handed pitcher Dom Anderson (Hagerstown, Ind./Hagerstown) got the start and went a season-long 4.1 innings on the mound, while freshman righty Cal Rutherford (Canton, Mich./Detroit Catholic Central) (2-0) earned the win as he entered the game to get the final out of the top of the 12th via the strikeout. Kent State's Jordan Kolenda (2-2) was tagged with the loss.
How it Happened
Kent State drew first blood as it smashed a solo homer on a 2-0 count to take the 1-0 lead in the top of the second. Eastern punched back in the bottom half of the inning as Hale drove in Bruce Jellison (Hartland, Mich./Hartland/Wabash Valley) from second to even the score at one.
The Golden Flashes added one run to their total with their second solo home run of the day in the top of the fourth to regain the lead at 2-1.
In the top of the fifth, Michael Pfeiffer (Brownsboro, Ala./Huntsville/Nothwest-Shoals C.C.) entered to relieve Anderson after a season-long 4.1 inning stint on the bump where he allowed three runs (two earned) off four hits while striking out one and walking two. Kent state grew its lead to two in the frame as they plated one off a sacrifice flyout to center field, bringing the score to 3-1.
KSU grabbed one more in the top of the sixth, scoring a runner from second base off a single up the middle to increase its advantage to three at 4-1.
Eastern scored one run in the sixth as Jellison scored Logan Hugo (Essexville, Mich./Essexville Garber) from third off a sacrifice fly to center field, marking Jellison's eighth sacrifice fly of the season, a number that ranks second in the MAC and sixth in the country.
Pfeiffer and junior right-hander Ethan Davis (Brownstown, Ind./Brownstown Central/Marian/Frontier C.C.) combined to shutdown the Golden Flashes in the seventh before the EMU offense scored four runs in the ensuing half inning to take a 6-4 advantage. The inning was highlighted by a Hugo RBI-single that plated two base runners.
The two teams traded runs in the eighth as KSU scored one in the top half before Hale sent his fourth home run of the year over the wall to add a key insurance run to make the score 7-5, Eastern, headed into the ninth.
Kent State knocked a two-run shot to tie it in the top of the ninth, and the Eagles were unable to score in the bottom half, sending the game into extra innings tied at seven.
Kent State soared ahead with four runs in the 11th, putting Eastern in a four-run hole at 11-7. Travis led the frame off with a solo home run, his tenth of the season to pull within one run closer, 11-8. After Lucas Johnson (Hamilton, Ontario/Westdale Secondary/Wright State) and Hale drove in a pair of Eagles to draw within two runs of KSU's total, Vance smashed a no-doubter to left field to complete the comeback, breathing life into the Eagles' MAC Tournament chances as they currently hold sole possession of the sixth and final spot with two conference games remaining, but have just a one game lead on rivals Western Michigan and Central Michigan.
Game Notes
» The walk-off win was the Eagles' first of the season. It also marked the sixth comeback win of the year.
» Eastern posted double-digits in runs (12), hits (15), and RBI (11) for the 13th time this season. It posts an 11-2 record when doing so.
» With 15 hits, Eastern reached the double-digit hits mark for the 27th time this season. It is 17-10 when doing so. The Eagles also out-hit the Golden Flashes, 15-12, marking the 28th time they have out-hit their opponent, posting a 18-10 in such scenarios.
» Eastern came back to win after being down following the conclusion of the sixth inning for the third time this season. The Eagles last accomplished the feat against Ohio, March 29. They entered the seventh down, 5-1, but won, 9-5.
» The game marked the Eagles' 18th with multiple home runs and sixth with at least three. EMU is now 4-2 when hitting at least four bombs.
» Hale's home run marked his fourth of the season and the team's 55th. He recorded his 13th multi-hit game of the season and sixth multi-RBI performance. His three extra-base hits performance marked the first of his NCAA Division I career. Additionally, his three extra-base hit day is the third occasion of an Eagle doing so this season. Hugo has the most extra-base knocks in one game as he totaled two doubles and left the yard twice in a 19-12 win over Miami, March 22.
» The Eagles are expected to have to win at least one more game to clinch a MAC Tournament berth.
» Zirwas notched his team-high 20th multi-hit game and fifth with three hits.
» Zirwas continued his hitting streak to 14 games, the longest hitting streak of the season for Eastern. He also reached base for the 16th consecutive game, currently serving as the longest streak of reaching base on the team.
» Travis set an NCAA Division I career-best with four hits, marking his 14th multi-hit game and the sixth time an Eagle has posted four knocks in a single game this year. His two RBI went down as his 10th time driving in multiple runs.
» Vance posted his 13th multi-hit outing with two knocks and career-best sixth home run of the season.
Historical Notes
» Eastern walked-off Kent State at home for just the second time in the modern statistical era. The first time came off a Taylor Hopkins homer in the 2021 season, as the eagles won 5-4, May 28. Vance's walk-off homer marked the Eagles' first since Matt Kirk walked-off Toledo in a 12-11 decision, April 23, 2023.
» The walk-off home run was the first in the Head Coach Robbie Britt era.
» Zirwas posted his 20th two-bagger of the season. He is now tied with Lee Longo (2014) for the seventh-most in a single season in Eastern history. He is the eighth player in program history to record at least 20 doubles, and has the most since 2022 MAC Player of the Year Matt Kirk hit 24 in the 2023 season.
» Vance is just three hits away from reaching 100 in his career as he currently posts 97.
» The game marked the 133rd between Kent State and Eastern Michigan. The Eagles are now 50-83 against KSU with a 5-21 mark when facing it at Oestrike Stadium in the modern statistical era (1999-present).
Up Next
The Eagles and Golden Flashes are back for game two of the three-game set tomorrow, May 16, 2 p.m. The game will serve as Eastern's 1975-76 College World Series 50th-Anniversary Celebration & Alumni Day as there will be a pre-game on-field recognition of all alumni in attendance at roughly 1:45 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) and emu_baseball on Instagram.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Rutherford, Cal (2-0)
L: Kolenda,Jordan (2-2)
Batting:
2B: Klotz,Hunter 1 ; Kiracofe,Micah 1 ; Tiesing,Landon 1
HR: Casey,Jake 2 ; Solitaria,Sawyer 1
RBI: Matthews, Luke 1 ; Casey,Jake 3 ; Solitaria,Sawyer 2 ; Williams,Brody 1 ; Klotz,Hunter 2 ; Kiracofe,Micah 1
SF: Matthews, Luke 1 ; Klotz,Hunter 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jatczak,Hayden 2 ; Casey,Jake 4 ; Solitaria,Sawyer 3 ; Kiracofe,Micah 1 ; Tiesing,Landon 1
SB: Casey,Jake 1 ; Kiracofe,Micah 1
CS: Kiracofe,Micah 1
HBP: Casey,Jake 1
Batting:
2B: Zirwas, Devan 1 ; Hale, John 2
HR: Travis, Harrison 1 ; Hale, John 1 ; Vance, Cooper 1
RBI: Hugo, Logan 1 ; Travis, Harrison 2 ; Zirwas, Devan 1 ; Jellison, Bruce 1 ; Johnson, Lucas 1 ; Hale, John 3 ; Vance, Cooper 2
SF: Jellison, Bruce 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hugo, Logan 2 ; Travis, Harrison 2 ; Zirwas, Devan 1 ; Stecko, Ty 1 ; Jellison, Bruce 1 ; Johnson, Lucas 1 ; Hale, John 2 ; Vance, Cooper 2
HBP: Jellison, Bruce 1
PO: Zuccaro, Giano 1 ; Hugo, Logan 1
Game Leaders
AB
6
R
2
H
4
RBI
2
AB
6
R
1
H
3
RBI
1
AB
6
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
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RHP
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OF
/ Baseball
INF
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RHP
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