Baseball team led by pitching, defense despite just two hits offensively

Billy Anderson stood just in front of home plate staring at the scoreboard over the right-center field wall.

The scoreboard lights showed what the junior left fielder struggled to explain – the baseball team’s 3-0 win with just two hits.

With the win, CMU avoided a weekend sweep against Toledo after the team dropped the first two games to the Mid-American Conference West Division leader.

But Anderson, with a sheepish grin, said he could not find the words that best fit the Chippewas’ performance in the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader.

“We just kind of rode through the waves and gutted out a win,” he said. “Guys were doing what they could to get on base . we didn’t have many hits, but we got on base and hitters were doing what they could to get them over.”

The Chippewas, already with a 2-0 lead, were held hitless until Anderson led off the sixth inning with a double down the right-field line.

Sophomore right fielder Matt Faiman reached on a fumbled grounder in the first inning and scored when sophomore first baseman Casey Ingle’s shot to left field popped out of UT’s Josh Wierzba’s glove.

Sophomore designated hitter Brandan Emmett reached on an error in the fifth inning and scored on a squeeze bunt, both without the team collecting its first hit.

The Chippewas were aided by the Rockets’ three errors, which led the way for the team’s first two runs.

Toledo starter Mike Inselmann stifled CMU hitters, earning a quality start by giving up one earned run on two hits while lasting 7 2/3 innings.

“He had a lot of movement,” Anderson said. “He kept the ball down and us off balance.”

Even with the team’s lack of offense, Central kept itself in the game with freshman left-hander Trent Howard throwing a shutout in his first collegiate complete game.

He said afterward that he did not even notice the lack of hits being produced.

“I wasn’t thinking of the score,” Howard said. “I was just thinking of going out there and putting another zero on the board every inning.”

Behind Howard, CMU’s defense turned in an error-free day in the field.

“We turned some double plays and Trent fielded his position well,” said coach Steve Jaksa. “And we didn’t make an error the entire game – I always say defense and pitching keep you in any game.”

sports@cm-life.com