Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, May 9
Kent, Ohio
1 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
17-31, 10-19
10
at
7
Kent State
36-12, 21-8
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Mich. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 0 |
| Kent St. | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 11 | 2 |
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
Baseball Evens Series at Kent State With Thrilling Extra-Innings Comeback
5/9/2026 6:21:00 PM | Baseball
EMU battled after getting down 4-0 through four innings, outscoring KSU 10-3 over the final six innings
KENT, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team stormed back from an early four-run hole to defeat Kent State University, 10-7, in 10 innings Saturday, May 9, at Schoonover Stadium to even the Mid-American Conference series, 1-1.
Eastern battled after getting down 4-0 through four innings as it outscored Kent State 10-3 over the final six innings.
Devan Zirwas (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny/VCU) led the Eagles with a day 3-for-3 with three RBI and three walks, reaching base in all six plate appearances. Michael Pfeiffer (Brownsboro, Ala./Huntsville/Northwest-Shoals C.C.) (3-4) earned the win after pitching a scoreless 0.2 innings in the ninth inning. Landon Mueller (Fremont, Neb./Fremont/Omaha) came on to earn the save, his second of the year with a scoreless bottom of the 10th.
The win sets up a rubber match Sunday, May 10, at 1 p.m., as a victory tomorrow would mark EMU's first series win against Kent State since 1988.
How it Happened
Kent State, the Mid-American Conference leader, built a 4-0 advantage behind home runs from Alejandro Covas and Grady Mee. Eastern Michigan's offense broke through in the fifth inning, stringing together hits and drawing walks to tie the game with a four-run rally. Zirwas and Ty Stecko (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin/Mount St. Mary's) fueled the comeback, each scoring and driving in runs in the frame.
After Covas' two-run triple put the Golden Flashes back in front, 6-4, in the seventh, EMU responded in the eighth with another three-run outburst. Zirwas delivered a clutch single to tie the game, 6-6, and pushed the Eagles ahead, 7-6, as he came around to score on a wild pitch. Kent State answered with a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings.
EMU seized the moment in the 10th, plating three runs on a combination of hits, heads-up baserunning and patience at the plate. Mueller entered in the ninth and held Kent State scoreless, securing a thrilling comeback win over some of the best competition the league has to offer.
Game Notes
» Eastern's record improved to 17-31 (10-19 MAC), and Kent State's dropped to 36-12 (21-8 MAC).
» EMU played its fifth extra-innings game of the season. It holds a 4-1 record when going into extras.
» Every Eagle batter reached base safely with a hit.
» After falling behind 4-0, Eastern outscored Kent State 10-3 in the final five innings.
» Eastern scored double-digit runs for the eighth time this season. It has a 5-2 record when doing so as it recorded 10+ hits for the 17th time. Pitching wise, Eastern hurlers struck out 11 batters, their 10th time with double-digit strikeouts.
» Eastern stole five bases, its third consecutive game doing so as it is 3-1 when stealing five or more bases this season. The three-game stretch with five stolen bases marks the first of the 2026 campaign.
» EMU earned its fifth comeback win of the season as it rebounded from four down to win, 11-7, in 10 innings. The win marks the second road comeback of the season as the first came in the first series of the year in a 11-6 win at Little Rock where the Eagles rallied from five down.
» Eastern outhit its opponent (13-11) for the 16th time this season, producing a 10-5 record when doing so.
» Devan Zirwas walked a career-best three times and hit his 34th double as an Eagle, tying for 17th in program history. He recorded another multi-hit and multi-RBI outing, his team-best 16th multi-hit game and 12th with two or more RBI. Zirwas has 105 RBI as an Eagle, tying for 20th on the program's career leaderboards. He finished the day 3-for-3 with three RBI and three walks, reaching base in all six plate appearances.
» Nick Weaver (Streamwood, Ill./Streamwood/Elgin C.C.) caught his 26th runner attempting to steal, a figure that leads the MAC, ranks top five nationally, and the second-most in one season in program history in the modern statistical era (1999-present). He caught two runners stealing on the day, his sixth time with multiple CSB in 2026.
» Ty Stecko hit his second career triple with both coming this season. He went 2-for-4 on the day with an RBI, his 14th multi-hit game and career-high 39th RBI as he is up to 50 hits, tying his mark from 2025. His two hits brought his EMU career total to 100 as the senior totals 124 hits in his NCAA career.
» Michael Pfeiffer earned his third win of the season as he pitched a scoreless 0.2 innings. Landon Mueller came on to earn the save, his second of the year and fifth scoreless appearance.
Historical Notes
» Eastern and Kent State met for the 136th time as EMU holds a 50-86 record against the Golden Flashes and a 7-17 mark when facing them on the road since 1999.
» With the win, Eastern has a chance to beat Kent State in a series for the first time since 1988 if it wins Sunday's series finale.
» Nick Weaver needs seven more runners caught stealing to tie Tony Dielo for the programs modern statistical era single-season record. Dielo gunned down 33 runners in the 2015 campaign.
Up Next
The Eagles and Golden Flashes conclude the series tomorrow, May 10, at 1 p.m.
Follow Us
Keep up with all things Eastern baseball by following the team on X @EMU Baseball and on Instagram @emu_baseball.
Eastern battled after getting down 4-0 through four innings as it outscored Kent State 10-3 over the final six innings.
Devan Zirwas (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny/VCU) led the Eagles with a day 3-for-3 with three RBI and three walks, reaching base in all six plate appearances. Michael Pfeiffer (Brownsboro, Ala./Huntsville/Northwest-Shoals C.C.) (3-4) earned the win after pitching a scoreless 0.2 innings in the ninth inning. Landon Mueller (Fremont, Neb./Fremont/Omaha) came on to earn the save, his second of the year with a scoreless bottom of the 10th.
The win sets up a rubber match Sunday, May 10, at 1 p.m., as a victory tomorrow would mark EMU's first series win against Kent State since 1988.
How it Happened
Kent State, the Mid-American Conference leader, built a 4-0 advantage behind home runs from Alejandro Covas and Grady Mee. Eastern Michigan's offense broke through in the fifth inning, stringing together hits and drawing walks to tie the game with a four-run rally. Zirwas and Ty Stecko (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin/Mount St. Mary's) fueled the comeback, each scoring and driving in runs in the frame.
After Covas' two-run triple put the Golden Flashes back in front, 6-4, in the seventh, EMU responded in the eighth with another three-run outburst. Zirwas delivered a clutch single to tie the game, 6-6, and pushed the Eagles ahead, 7-6, as he came around to score on a wild pitch. Kent State answered with a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings.
EMU seized the moment in the 10th, plating three runs on a combination of hits, heads-up baserunning and patience at the plate. Mueller entered in the ninth and held Kent State scoreless, securing a thrilling comeback win over some of the best competition the league has to offer.
Game Notes
» Eastern's record improved to 17-31 (10-19 MAC), and Kent State's dropped to 36-12 (21-8 MAC).
» EMU played its fifth extra-innings game of the season. It holds a 4-1 record when going into extras.
» Every Eagle batter reached base safely with a hit.
» After falling behind 4-0, Eastern outscored Kent State 10-3 in the final five innings.
» Eastern scored double-digit runs for the eighth time this season. It has a 5-2 record when doing so as it recorded 10+ hits for the 17th time. Pitching wise, Eastern hurlers struck out 11 batters, their 10th time with double-digit strikeouts.
» Eastern stole five bases, its third consecutive game doing so as it is 3-1 when stealing five or more bases this season. The three-game stretch with five stolen bases marks the first of the 2026 campaign.
» EMU earned its fifth comeback win of the season as it rebounded from four down to win, 11-7, in 10 innings. The win marks the second road comeback of the season as the first came in the first series of the year in a 11-6 win at Little Rock where the Eagles rallied from five down.
» Eastern outhit its opponent (13-11) for the 16th time this season, producing a 10-5 record when doing so.
» Devan Zirwas walked a career-best three times and hit his 34th double as an Eagle, tying for 17th in program history. He recorded another multi-hit and multi-RBI outing, his team-best 16th multi-hit game and 12th with two or more RBI. Zirwas has 105 RBI as an Eagle, tying for 20th on the program's career leaderboards. He finished the day 3-for-3 with three RBI and three walks, reaching base in all six plate appearances.
» Nick Weaver (Streamwood, Ill./Streamwood/Elgin C.C.) caught his 26th runner attempting to steal, a figure that leads the MAC, ranks top five nationally, and the second-most in one season in program history in the modern statistical era (1999-present). He caught two runners stealing on the day, his sixth time with multiple CSB in 2026.
» Ty Stecko hit his second career triple with both coming this season. He went 2-for-4 on the day with an RBI, his 14th multi-hit game and career-high 39th RBI as he is up to 50 hits, tying his mark from 2025. His two hits brought his EMU career total to 100 as the senior totals 124 hits in his NCAA career.
» Michael Pfeiffer earned his third win of the season as he pitched a scoreless 0.2 innings. Landon Mueller came on to earn the save, his second of the year and fifth scoreless appearance.
Historical Notes
» Eastern and Kent State met for the 136th time as EMU holds a 50-86 record against the Golden Flashes and a 7-17 mark when facing them on the road since 1999.
» With the win, Eastern has a chance to beat Kent State in a series for the first time since 1988 if it wins Sunday's series finale.
» Nick Weaver needs seven more runners caught stealing to tie Tony Dielo for the programs modern statistical era single-season record. Dielo gunned down 33 runners in the 2015 campaign.
Up Next
The Eagles and Golden Flashes conclude the series tomorrow, May 10, at 1 p.m.
Follow Us
Keep up with all things Eastern baseball by following the team on X @EMU Baseball and on Instagram @emu_baseball.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Pfeiffer, Michael (3-4)
L: Brody Krzysiak (1-2)
S: Mueller, Landon (1)
Batting:
2B: Zirwas, Devan 1 ; Knupp, Keegan 1 ; Sydlowski, Kriss 1
3B: Stecko, Ty 1
RBI: Stecko, Ty 1 ; Zirwas, Devan 3 ; Knupp, Keegan 1 ; Borchardt, Nathan 1 ; Crane, Tristan 1 ; Weaver, Nick 1 ; Sydlowski, Kriss 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hale, John 1 ; Williams, TJ 1 ; Stecko, Ty 2 ; Zirwas, Devan 3 ; Knupp, Keegan 1 ; Borchardt, Nathan 1 ; Sydlowski, Kriss 1
SB: Hale, John 1 ; Zirwas, Devan 1 ; Knupp, Keegan 1 ; Crane, Tristan 1 ; Sydlowski, Kriss 1
HBP: Stecko, Ty 2 ; Borchardt, Nathan 1 ; Crane, Tristan 1
Batting:
3B: Alejandro Covas 1
HR: Sawyer Solitaria 1 ; Alejandro Covas 1 ; Grady Mee 1
RBI: Sawyer Solitaria 1 ; Alejandro Covas 3 ; Grady Mee 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Sawyer Solitaria 1 ; Micah Rienstra-Kiracofe 1 ; Nolan Belcher 1 ; Alejandro Covas 2 ; Hunter Klotz 1 ; Grady Mee 1
SB: Sawyer Solitaria 1 ; Brady Marshall 1
CS: Sawyer Solitaria 1 ; Matt Thompson 1
HBP: Nolan Belcher 1 ; Kolton Schaller 1
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