The Eastern Michigan University baseball program (2-8, 0-2 Mid-American Conference) kicked off the first game of a doubleheader Sunday, Mar.13 against the Ball State Cardinals.
Notching the first run in the second inning, the Eagles held the lead into the fifth inning. Early in the fifth inning, the Eagles conceded two runs to the Cardinals.
The Cardinals and Eagles battled the final four innings, concluding in a stalemate. The lead change in the fifth would prove enough for the Cardinals to claim a 2-1 victory over the Eagles. Following the defeat to the Cardinals, EMU sits at 2-8 win-loss record on the year.
Senior pitcher Zach Fruit had a career-best game performance, striking out five hitters and two earned runs. Fruit's efforts tie his lowest of the season. Fruit pitched a career-high of six innings, rendering the cardinals scoreless in the first four innings. Overall, Fruit faced a total of 28 batters for the game.
EMU’s only score of the game came from junior Gabe Denton. Denton smashed a solo home-run against Cardinal’s pitcher Tyler Schweitzer.
After Denton’s home run in the second, the bats were quiet for the rest of the afternoon. The Eagles only recorded one extra-base hit within seven innings marking the team's lowest hit total since April 3, 2021.
Junior Matt Kirk recorded the second hit of the game. Kirk recorded a personal team-high of 17 hits on the season. Entering his freshman season, Kirk has had a hot start to the season, recording a batting average of .451.
Ball State University leads the all-time head-to-head series against EMU, 29-44 as of March 13. The two programs will meet in three more matchups to complete a four-game series.
Later this week, the Eagles will travel to Indianapolis, Ind. to face Butler for a three-game series.
