Baseball falls in extra innings on walk-off hit to ETSU
Central Michigan’s baseball team was two outs away from victory and an opening series win Sunday when the Chippewas faced off for the final of a three-game series against Eastern Tennessee State.
Closer Jordan Grosjean took the mound in the bottom of the ninth with a 6-5 lead over the Buccaneers and had one out with the tying run on second base.
A grounder to short got the out at first base, but a gutsy call from ETSU scored the runner from second off of a bobbled play from first baseman Nick Stokowski.
In the bottom of the tenth, ETSU’s Christian Bailey — who scored the tying run in the ninth — singled through the right side of the infield to give the Buccaneers the walk-off win, 7-6.
“It’s just a real tough loss. We were a fraction of a foot or two from winning the game,” said head coach Steve Jaksa. “It was a hard fought game where both sides kept going back-in-forth. It was just disappointing and a tough pill to swallow."
The Chippewas fell to 1-2 on the season and travel to San Antonio, Texas Friday to begin a three-game series against Incarnate Word.
Right-handed pitcher Dazon Cole lasted 4 and 2/3 innings and surrendered five runs. The sophomore struck out two batters and gave up three walks in his first start of the season.
Second baseman Jason Sullivan got the Chippewas on the board in the third inning with a triple to right-center field which brought in two runs.
After ETSU scored two runs of its own, catcher Robert Greenman re-gained the lead for CMU with a bunt single in the fourth inning to bring in designated hitter Daniel Jipping. Jipping singled through the left side on the infield in the fifth inning to push the lead to 4-2.
Greenman (.333) and Jipping (.455) went a combined 6-for-9 at the plate Sunday. Jipping added a walk.
However, ETSU took the lead 5-4 off a Bailey triple to right-center field and a single from Chris Smith in the bottom of the inning. Shortstop Alex Borglin tied it for the Chippewas the next inning off a double which brought in Greenman.
Borglin (.286) went 2-for-5 and had one strikeout on the day.
After a scoreless seventh and eighth inning, Sullivan scored off a fielder’s choice from the bat of center fielder David Cole in the top of the ninth to give the lead back to CMU before ETSU tied and won the game in the tenth.
Right-hander Sean Martens — who missed all of last season after tommy-john surgery — and left-handed pitcher Tyler Hankins came in on relief for CMU.
ETSU pitcher Blake Smith went 5 and 1/3 innings and surrendered four runs and three walks. The Buccaneers out-hit the Chippewas 15-12 in the rubber match.
Jaksa said he was happy with his team’s defense and overall performance in the opening series and said they will only improve from here.
“The guys played extremely hard each game,” Jaksa said. “There were a lot of firsts for some guys who had never played before. But at the same time we are going to get better.”
First pitch against Incarnate Word is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday.
