On a day that was supposed to be all about the seniors in their last home game, it seemed all about inconsistency for Eastern Michigan University baseball as it pulled in a performance coach Jay Alexander described as “absolutely awful,” losing 7-3 to the Toledo Rockets on Sunday.
The Eagles (25-27, 13-11) lost all three games in the series, which eliminated any chance they had to win a Mid-American Conference title.
It started well as freshman Steve Weber, in his first career MAC start, had his pitches working for him early on.
“[Steve] was rocky at first, but he came around and did his job,” Alexander said.
After giving up one run in the first after loading the bases, Weber gave up only two hits in the next four innings.
In the second inning, EMU’s Brent Ohrman advanced home on a wild throw to second. In the third, a squeeze bunt by Todd Graves brought home Bo Kinder to give Eastern an early lead.
But when Weber took the mound in the fifth, things went wrong.
A leadoff double by Joe Corfman preceded a run-scoring single, and Weber was then taken out.
Jordan Glover came in as the first of several relievers for EMU in its final home game of the season. Glover went one inning, allowing the runner he inherited to score and leaving Toledo with a 4-3 lead, an advantage it wouldn’t relinquish.
The Eagles gave up two more runs in the seventh and a run apiece in the eighth and ninth innings. Eastern’s final run was scored by Graves in the seventh.
After Glover, Tim Combs (2/3 IP), Robert Wendzicki (1/3), Steven Young (0), Collin Taylor (1 1/3), Taylor Dimmerling (0), and Joe Battistelli (2/3) combined for the final three innings of work, giving up a combined four earned runs on seven hits.
“Every time they had an inch, they took a foot,”Alexander said of the series. “Any opportunities they had, they took advantage of.”
Said Weber about the remaining games: “We’ve got to dig our way out of it. Keep playing, keep battling and things are going to come alive.”
Eastern Michigan’s final three-game series of the season is at Mount Pleasant against Central Michigan before starting MAC Tournament play, beginning May 26 in Chillicothe, Ohio.
Central Michigan (30-19, 17-7) is in third place in the West, one spot ahead of the Eagles.
