The Eastern Michigan University baseball team wrapped up a three-game set in two days against the Western Michigan University Broncos on Friday, March 14, and Saturday, March 15.
The first two games were played on Friday in a traditional doubleheader. EMU won the first game 10-8, and Western won the second game 14-4. Concluding on Saturday with one game due to the forecasted rain and temperatures Sunday, the Eagles offense exploded for 17 runs and took two out of three games in the series by winning the second game, 17-4.
Winning the first game 10-8, game one started in a pitcher's duel. Eastern did not score until the fifth inning, and Western Michigan took the early lead 1-0 on a Runs Batted In (RBI) triple. The Eagles would tie the game at one before the Broncos would go up by five runs late, 7-2, heading into the top of the ninth inning, where it looked like Western would pick up a win in the first game.
But in the ninth, other ideas sparked the attention of Eastern Michigan. The Eagles would get five runners on base before an out was recorded to make it a two-run game, 7-5 in favor of Western Michigan. Furthermore, trailing by one with two outs, Drew Jones (Cleveland, Ohio) hit a bases-clearing triple to give EMU a 9-7 advantage.
After scoring one more run and getting a 10-7 lead heading into the ninth, Fischer Hendershot (Flushing, Mich.) finished the game to earn his second save of the season. The Eagles had three players record multiple hits in the first game, including Ben Schechrterman (Aurora, Ohio), Devan Zirwas (Imperial, Pa.), and Cooper Vance (New Waterford, Ohio). Vance recorded three hits and four RBIs in the victory.
Zirwas and Logan Hugo (Essexville, Mich.) recorded the only extra-base hits for the Eagles, each getting a double. The Eagles went 13-for-40 as a team (.325) in the win, meaning it was the eighth time this season that they had accomplished this feat.
Drew Beckner (Westerville, Ohio) took the ball for Eastern Michigan. The southpaw pitched six innings, allowing just two runs and six hits. The bullpen struggled. Four different pitchers allowed five runs in three innings of work. But the offense Eastern produced was enough to get the win.
The second game was a blowout, with Western Michigan being in control for the most part. After EMU started the game with a 2-0 lead, the Broncos scored six runs in the bottom of the second inning. Things did not get any better for Eastern Michigan afterward. Western had an 11-2 lead after the fifth inning. The Eagles would knock in two runs in the ninth but struggled in this game.
Despite the loss, EMU had eight hits in this game, two players of which had multi-hit games. This included Bruce Jellison (Hartland, Mich.) and Harrison Travis (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) each with two. Ty Stecko (North Huntingdon, Pa.) hit his third home run of the season in the eighth. Hugo and Travis each had a double as well.
EMU allowed 17 hits and 14 runs, a season-worst for most hits allowed and second-worst for most runs allowed, only allowing 16 runs against Pittsburgh on February 16. The loss marked the first loss in conference play for EMU this year, starting MAC play 4-0.
The series ended with EMU having their best offensive effort of the season. They had 17 hits, scoring 17 runs, four home runs, and three doubles. After trailing 1-0 in the first three innings, EMU scored six runs in the third and seven in the fifth inning to have a 13-1 lead after five. From there, EMU had three runs in the sixth as the game went final after seven innings.
Players getting multiple hits included Brendan Kleiman (Olney, Md.) with four, Hugo with three, and Zirwas, Jellison, and John Hale (Ashland City, Tenn.) all had two hits. Hale, Hugo, Zirwas, and Jellison each had a home run. Kleiman had two doubles, and Schecterman had one double.
Bobby Jones (Loveland, Ohio) was the starting pitcher for Eastern. He went deep into the game, pitching five two-thirds innings, allowing just two runs on six hits. The bullpen consisted of Jack Topolski (Seven Hills, Ohio) and Emmet Gillies (Columbus, Ohio), who faced four batters and allowed no runs. The 13-run victory was EMU’s largest of the season and largest margin of victory since they also beat Western Michigan 21-5 on April 11, 2023.
Up Next:
After 17 straight games played away from home, the Eagles will be in action at Oestrike Stadium for the home opener on Friday, March 21. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
For more coverage on the Eastern Michigan University Baseball team, check out The Echo’s website.
