Back to the diamond in Depot Town, it was for the Eastern Michigan University baseball team as the Eagles took on Akron University in a three-game weekend Mid-American Conference (MAC) showdown at Oestrike Stadium. As EMU (13-25, 8-10 MAC) looked to get back on track in conference play, the Zips had other plans as they downed the Eagles, 3-0, on the weekend to complete a series sweep.
Junior Logan Hugo (Essexville, Mich.) notched a milestone as he notched his 100th hit of his collegiate career in Friday's matchup.
After the weekend, the all-time series between the two sits at 38-30 as they've met 67 times so far.
Game One
On Friday the Zips would get on the board first in the opening inning until Hugo would drill a solo home run to even things up at 1-1. Akron would then surge a five-run inning in the fourth to take a 6-1 advantage.
The Eagles then rallied in the fifth inning after putting up one more run before scoring four runs which was highlighted by a three-run home run from junior Giano Zuccaro (Middleburg Heights, Ohio) to bring the score to 6-6.
In the sixth inning, Hugo would hit his second home run of the day, a solo shot, to put the Eagles ahead, 7-6.
Akron then got hot and put up six runs to take a 12-7 lead heading into the eighth inning. The Eagles would tally on one more run but it wasn't enough as Akron added one more of their own to take game one, 13-8.
Hugo led the Eagles offensively as he finished the day going 4-for-5 at the plate with two home runs and three RBIs. Zuccaro would add a 2-for-5 showing at the plate as he notched a home run, double, and three RBIs. It marks Zuccaro's fourth multi-hit performance in his last six games.
Senior Kyle Schroedle (Redding, Calif.) would finish the day with two hits. It is now 14-straight games that Schroedle has achieved multiple hits.
Game Two
Akron held a 1-0 lead until the fourth inning where EMU would score two runs off of a Zips' error followed by junior Lucas Johnson (Hamilton, Ontario) scoring Zuccaro to put the Eagles ahead, 2-1.
The rest of the way would be all Akron as they held the Eagles scoreless while producing six runs to take game two, 7-2.
Game Three
Game three started with Akron drilling in four runs in the first two innings to produce a 4-0 advantage. EMU would then respond over the next three innings as they tallied four runs highlighted by an RBI double from Johnson as they tied things up at 4-4 heading into the sixth inning.
The Zips then surged 11-straight runs through the final three innings to put things out of reach as they held a 15-4 advantage. EMU would score one more run but it wasn't enough as Akron completed the series sweep winning the final game, 15-5.
Johnson finished the day with three hits and one RBI while Hugo and Blake McRae (Armada, Mich.) each notched two hits and one RBI on the day for the Eagles. Zuccaro, Schroedle, and freshman Nathan Ball each chipped in one hit.
Next up, the Eagles will hit the road to Rochester, Mich., for a non-conference matchup with Oakland University on Tuesday, April 23. The game is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m.
