The Chippewas dropped the game against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies Tuesday afternoon at Theunissen Stadium by a score of 7-5.

CMU held on to a 3-2 lead going into the eighth inning, but five runs by Oakland in the final two innings sealed the game.

“We definitely wanted to go out with a ‘W’ but for me it was nice to go out on that mound one last time,” said senior pitcher Jake Sabol. “If we play like we did today we won’t be around for too long, we made a lot of mental mistakes.”

Sabol started the game on the mound for CMU in what was a staff day for the Chippewas as they ran six different pitchers out to pitch throughout the game. Sabol pitched the first inning and was followed by junior Ryan Longstreth who pitched the next two.

Sophomore Scott Marinier pitched the next inning and allowed one earned run.

Senior Bryce Morrow followed Marinier and threw two scoreless innings while striking out four Oakland batters. Junior Harvey Martin took his turn following Morrow, allowing one earned run in one inning pitched.

Junior Jon Weaver finished the outing for CMU but struggled a bit, allowing OU to score four runs in the top of the ninth inning. Weaver (2-1) was charged with the loss. Oakland’s Jake Arendsen (3-1) picked up his third win of the season in relief.

“We did have a plan on the mound that we wanted to accomplish,” said head coach Steve Jaksa. “Unfortunately, the ninth inning was not a good inning for us and it was very disappointing with how that came about.”

CMU (27-24 overall, 15-8 Mid-American Conference) did show some fight in the bottom of the ninth inning. Seniors Robbie Harman and Brendan Emmett both scored runs in the ninth for CMU but the comeback fell short when sophomore Jordan Adams struck out swinging to end the game.

Harman, Emmett, and fellow senior Matt Faiman combined for four of the five runs scored in the game for the Chippewas.

It was a tough game for the seniors to lose to an Oakland team with only 16 wins on the season.

“The team will be ready to play (leading up to the championship) regardless of what this game showed. We have shown great resiliency through the course of the year,” Jaksa said. “We will be ready to play against Eastern Michigan. We have got a lot yet to play for.”

The Chippewas will begin their final conference series against Eastern Michigan on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Oestrike Stadium.

The EMU Eagles (33-18, 15-9 MAC) sit just a half a game behind the Chippewas for first place in the MAC West Division. This weekend will be a key series for both teams as they look to get the highest seed possible in the MAC Tournament, which begins on May 25 in Chillicothe, Ohio.

Those runs were crucial as the Spartans beat the Chippewas 5-2.

MSU (31-15) was helped by a couple of long balls throughout the game.

Infielders Andrew Carpenter and Torsten Boss both hit home runs for the Spartans as they took the season series two games to one after losing its home opener to CMU back on March 30.

“I am a little disappointed. We had a few chances but we could not get that two-out hit,” said head coach Steve Jaksa. “When you are in close games, those runs can matter a lot.”

Junior Ryan Longstreth suffered the loss for the Chippewas, dropping his record to 1-4 on the season—his only win coming in the March 30 game.

Chase Rihtarchik improved his season record to 1-2 after picking up the win for the Spartans.

Tony Wieber shut the door in the ninth inning, picking up his seventh save of the season.

One bright spot for the Chippewas throughout the game was junior Tyler Hall’s fifth inning triple. It was his 10th triple of the season, setting a new single season record for triples in CMU baseball history.

“I am a superstitious player so I don’t like to think about that kind of stuff,” Hall said. “I actually thought it was out, but once it hit the wall I scooted around the bases. It helps a lot when you have a deep field like this.”

He finished the day 3-5 with a run scored. Junior catcher William Arnold also had a solid day on the diamond for CMU, going 0-1, while drawing three walks and scoring the other Chippewas run.

Arnold also had a good day behind the plate with four put outs and two assists.

“William is getting better and better. He is very determined and he didn’t miss a ball today,” Jaksa said. “I think our guys can keep getting better and that’s a credit to him to have that kind of work ethic.”

CMU (26-22, 14-7 Mid-American Conference) looks to put this game behind them and turn their attention to rival Western Michigan.
The Chippewas currently hold a one game lead in the MAC West division and have a three game series this weekend in Kalamazoo, starting at 3 p.m. on Friday.

Hall said it will be important for the team to keep its momentum in the MAC throughout the weekend.

“This weekend series is pretty important and they are dominant at home,” he said. “We have got to come and play like we do when we are at home and play with that same momentum.”

With just two weekend series’ left in conference play, the Chippewas look to hold onto their first place lead before the MAC tournament starts on May 25.

The 6-foot 5-inch right-handed pitcher is intimidating on the mound and his senior leadership helped the team get out of an early season funk.

Sabol already has two complete game shutouts under his belt and sports a 3-3 overall record with a 4.10 earned run average.

Acting as the anchor in the weekend pitching staff Sabol has been the Sunday starter for the Chippewas and is key for the team’s success as they compete for a second consecutive regular season Mid-American Conference title.

Sabol has a 7-8 career record as a starter and has struck out 33 batters in 52 2/3 innings pitched this season.

Honorable Mention: Trent Howard

Howard has been the ace of the CMU pitching staff this season. With a 1.75 earned run average and a 4-3 overall record, the junior left-hander has been CMU’s most consistent pitcher.

Howard was named MAC West Pitcher of the Week on March 16 and has struck out 74 batters in 67 innings pitched.

On April 15 the 6-foot-2 pitcher struck out the first nine batters he faced against the then first place Kent State.

Honorable Mention: Tyler Hall

The junior third basemen has been a pleasant surprise for the Chippewas this season, holding down the leadoff spot in the lineup with a .335 batting average.

After spending two years at Grand Rapids Community College, Hall made his CMU debut with a triple and an RBI against Florida Gulf Coast in Feb. Hall leads the team with 52 hits and six triples.

At 3:05 p.m. today at Theunissen Stadium the Chippewas will start a three-game weekend series against first place Northern Illinois.

CMU (21-20, 9-6 MAC) is just one game back from first and junior starter Trent Howard said the team is ready.

“We are looking forward to the opportunity and we always play better at home,” Howard said. “This is a big series, and it is even better that it is at home.”

Howard has been the primary Friday starter for the Chippewas this year and has a 4-3 record, and a 1.75 earned run average.

The ace of the pitching staff is generally the Friday starter, so CMU looks to benefit off Howard early this weekend.

The Chippewas have won four consecutive conference series after being swept in the first conference series of the season. This weekend they look to continue that trend and move up in the MAC West.

“We like the opportunity to try and move into first place,” said sophomore reliever Dietrich Enns. “We’re just looking to keep winning games and take it day-by-day. Winning this series would be a huge boost for our team.”

Enns has a 5-1 record on the season out of the bullpen and has been the shutdown pitcher for the Chippewas, leading the team with four saves.

He currently holds a 12-1 career record as a Chippewa after going 7-0 in his freshman year, earning Freshman All-American honors.

Northern Illinois (20-18, 10-5 MAC) has won four out of its last five games, and have been a surprise in the MAC.

The Huskies are led by junior Alex Jones. The 5-foot-11 infielder leads the team with a .354 batting average and 56 hits.
Junior third basemen Tyler Hall continues to lead the Chippewas from the leadoff spot, hitting .335 with 52 hits and six triples.

CMU has found its mid-season form, but continues to try and get better with every inning that passes.

“We are really hitting our stride right now,” Howard said. “A series win would be huge this weekend no doubt about it.”

The middle game of the series will start at 2:05 p.m. on Saturday where junior starter Zach Cooper is expected to be on the mound for the Chippewas.

The series will conclude at 1:05 p.m. on Sunday at Theunissen Stadium. Senior Jake Sabol is the projected started for Sunday, he will be looking to rebound from a sub-par performance last time out.

The junior first basemen has struggled all season, batting .173 going into Tuesday’s game, but head coach Steve Jaksa showed some confidence by pinch-hitting Theunissen in the ninth inning.

Theunissen got a strike down in the zone and hit a line-drive over the center fielder’s head, scoring Jordan Dean to win the game 1-0 on Tuesday at Theunissen Stadium.

“My swing has not been real comfortable (and) I have been working on it making little tweaks,” Theunissen said. “We have got a lot of season left so I am looking forward to it.”

Senior right-hander Bryce Morrow had it going on the mound for CMU all afternoon. Morrow threw 8 2/3 innings of shutout ball, while striking out seven and walking none.

Senior Mike Nixon relieved Morrow in the ninth and struck out the last batter of the inning. The Chippewas magic in the ninth gave Nixon (1-0) his first win of the season.

Morrow was the victim of some bad luck in not picking up the win, but it was a good outing confidence-wise for the senior who has thrown well in his last two starts.

“In order to win these kind of games that we have you have to pitch it. Our guy did and we put up a goose egg,” Jaksa said. “He had great command. I know he is down (for not getting the win), but it’s a great team win and a lot of credit goes to him.”

On the other side of the mound was Bowling Green’s Matt Malewitz, who shined for the Falcons, pitching five innings of shutout ball. Malewitz only allowed two hits but walked five batters.

CMU (21-20, 9-6 Mid-American Conference) has a big weekend series at home this weekend against first-place Northern Illinois, but will first travel to face Oakland today in another mid-week game.

Junior right-hander Jon Weaver will start today’s game, which will start at 3 p.m. at the OU Baseball Field in Rochester. He will be on a pitch count as multiple pitchers will be expected to see some time throughout the game.

Theunissen, who upped his batting average to .182, will look to keep getting good at-bats and try to find his way back into the lineup.

“He hit that one a long way,” Jaksa said. “If we can get him (Theunissen) back to where he is comfortable with himself that will help and hey, (he needs to) just play the game.”

CMU has now won four of its last five games and nine of the last 11 on the road.

On Saturday the Chippewas swept the Cardinals in a doubleheader, including a 7-6 come-from-behind win in Game 2.

With the series win, CMU moved into a three-way tie for second place in the Mid-American Conference West Division.

“You have got to keep playing hard and play for every inning and give it your best,” said head coach Steve Jaksa. “There are no guarantees – you just have to go out and work hard (and) maybe a rally will start.”

In Game 1 of the doubleheader on Saturday, CMU senior left-hander Trent Howard (4-3) pitched seven strong innings to pick up his fourth win of the season. Howard allowed two earned runs while striking out eight and only issuing one walk in 111 pitches.

In Game 2 the Chippewas capitalized on a couple of Ball State mistakes in the ninth inning to go on to win another late-inning game.

CMU (20-20, 9-6 MAC) has fought its way back into the MAC West conversation, winning nine of its last 11 games. Jaksa said that Saturday’s sweep was huge for his team.

“It was a see-saw battle that went back and forth,” Jaksa said. “We put ourselves in a good position. It was a big momentum turn for us.”

Ball State (12-25, 8-6 MAC) had won four in a row coming into the series before being swept on Saturday.

The Cardinals got out to an 8-0 lead on Sunday as they hit CMU starter Jake Sabol for six runs and 10 hits in just 3 1/3 innings pitched.

Morgan Coombs (4-3) held the Chippewas offense in check, throwing eight strong innings while striking out six to pick up his fourth win of the season.

CMU only mustered five hits throughout the game on Sunday.

“He kept us off-balance and his stuff was a little different,” Jaksa said. “We had to take a different approach than what we were used to.”

The Chippewas have a couple of mid-week games on tap starting at 3:05 p.m. Tuesday against Bowling Green at Theunissen Stadium. They will travel to Rochester on Wednesday to face Oakland.

BGSU (15-21, 8-7 MAC) has lost three of its last five games but will be looking for some redemption against on Tuesday. The last time the two teams met was in the semifinals of the MAC tournament when CMU eliminated the Falcons, winning two of three games, to end their season.

The game, postponed from its original March date because of inclement weather, will not count toward both team’s conference record.

On Saturday, the team was facing Ball State in a doubleheader and completed a Saturday sweep with a ninth-inning rally in the second game.

A wild pitch and a passed ball got the runs across for CMU as it won 7-6. The Chippewas took the first game 12-3 with no problems. The win helped the Chippewas clinch their fourth consecutive conference series.

This team just simply has something about them. If you paid any attention last season you would know that the CMU baseball team loves late-inning drama. Last season the Chippewas won 10 games with the outcome being depicted by two runs or less, including a 9-8 win in the MAC tournament semifinals.

Not much has changed this season as the team has played in 19 games decided by two runs or less and the Chippewas have pulled out wins in nine of those games.

It isn’t the talent and skill of the team that has them pulling out all of these late-inning wins, it is their do or die attitude. There is no tomorrow with this team.

Every pitch of every inning they are working. They are getting better with every pitch that is thrown on both the defensive and offensive sides of the plate. It is not about the type of baseball you play in February, it is about how you finish in May.

After a 9-16 start to the season, CMU was searching for an answer. Losing close game after close game was not the vision this team had at the start of the season. But on March 30, the Chippewas went to East Lansing to face Michigan State in their home opener and something changed.

CMU got a great start from junior pitcher Ryan Longstreth and went on to spoil the Spartans opener with a 3-1 victory.

The Chippewas are 11-4 since that game and have been on an absolute tear. They took two out of three in a weekend series against first place Kent State and have now found themselves within reach of first place in the MAC West Division.

As the end of the school year approaches schedules change, priorities are set and students scramble to study for final exams and scramble to turn in last-minute assignments.

But baseball is constant. It isn’t going anywhere and the CMU baseball team does not want an ending similar to last year where they lost in the championship game of the MAC tournament.

This weekend the baseball team has its second-to-last home series of the season. Theunissen Stadium has one of the best atmospheres in the MAC and the Chippewas are on a roll.

I would like to encourage students who need a break from studying for finals to stop by if the weather is nice, because this team loves playing at home in front of their fans.

But the Chippewas have not been crying over the weather this year. They have been dealing with it, and the same should go for fans.

As the old line goes, “There’s no crying in baseball.”

At 6:35 p.m. today the CMU baseball team will face the Michigan State Spartans at Comerica Park in what will be the second meeting of the season for the two teams.

In the first meeting on Mar. 30, CMU won 3-1, ruining the Spartans’ opening day in East Lansing.

“I don’t want our guys to play any different. This will be good for the guys and good for guys were are recruiting,” said head coach Steve Jaksa. “This will be something where the guys can say they did something that no one else has before and I kind of like that.”

Senior Bryce Morrow will be on the mound for the Chippewas, looking for his first win of the season. Morrow holds a 0-3 record with a 6.11 ERA and has struck out 17 batters in 35 1/3 innings pitched.

The Chippewas (18-18 overall, 7-5 Mid-American Conference) are coming off of a huge weekend series win over first place Kent State. Morrow said that he is just excited about the opportunity to pitch in a big league park.

“This is another game that we have to go win and I am just trying to go out there and do my job and throw strikes,” Morrow said. “Our pitching staff is throwing the ball well and we are hitting the ball well too we are really coming around. I like our chances.”

CMU has won nine of its last 11 games and they have not been beaten by a Big Ten team this season. They are 4-0 against the league, with wins against Michigan, Indiana and Illinois.

MSU (22-10, 6-3 Big Ten) has lost three of its last four games and will be looking for a little redemption against the Chippewas.

The Spartans are led by Brandon Eckerle, who has a .430 batting average and leads his team in hits and stolen bases.

“I thought it was good that the Tigers saw this as a good opportunity for them too,” Jaksa said. “They get to showcase their park and bring in a Division 1 game between two teams that have been playing baseball against each other for over 100 years. At the end of the day it is going to be a lot of fun and a great atmosphere.”

Jaksa said he is making sure he is bringing everyone on the team to the game so they can be a part of the experience.

The Chippewas will be looking to continue their winning ways as they make a push to compete for another MAC regular season championship. League play resumes this weekend with a series against Ball State in Muncie, Ind., beginning at 3 p.m. Friday.

But when you play baseball in Mount Pleasant the weather seems to always be a factor.

In Sunday’s win over Kent State the CMU baseball team proved that the early season struggles are behind them while also proving they can play in bad weather.

The sun came out during Sunday’s game for the first time all season. If I am giving off the impression that the weather was nice on Sunday I apologize because snow flakes were present.

It was below 40 degrees with winds howling at speeds over 40 miles per hour. It was ridiculous and, quite frankly, is starting to get old with the baseball team. The first two games of the weekend series were not much different but with less sun and no snow flakes.

Right from the start of the series both teams knew the weather would be a factor, and the wind gusts played its role all weekend long.

Multiple balls hit in the air caused trouble for fielders. Outfielders struggled to judge fly balls and infielders looked like they had never played baseball before trying to catch pop-ups.

It was kind of comical but at the same time you felt for the players. The wind changed the game. On Sunday it changed the game in a bigger way than just a couple of tough fly balls.

Trailing 3-2 in the top of the seventh inning Kent State third basemen Travis Shaw stepped to the plate. Shaw had already hit a home run earlier in the game that flew out of Theunissen Stadium.

Shaw waited and turned on a pitch that made its way toward left field. The ball kept carrying and carrying, and then carried some more until finally the ball found metal. Shaw, with the wind blowing out to left all game long, rang one off of the left field foul poll giving Kent State a 4-3 lead.

On Friday, In the first game of the series, the wind was blowing hard out to right field and by Sunday it was blowing in the opposite direction.

Gusts of wind blowing dirt in faces and pitches moving in just a matter of 60 feet, 6 inches are just a few examples of what the weekend baseball series had to offer.

The weather doesn’t surprise the more experienced people of Mount Pleasant and as the baseball team continues to win it seems to be less of a concern.

But I wonder if CMU will get to have a home baseball game with some nice weather.

Weather above 45 degrees? As the third week of April approaches one can only hope so.

The series was tied 1-1, Dietrich Enns was on the mound, and the Golden Flashes had a man on second base when Jimmy Rider connected and sent the ball flying toward left field.

As everyone gasped, watching the ball’s track, CMU junior Sam Russell rose up and made the catch as he slammed against the wall and the Chippewas dugout erupted, sealing a 5-4 victory Sunday and series win against Mid-American Conference East leading Kent State.

“On that last ball they hit you had a little bit of a sinking feeling,” said head coach Steve Jaksa. “He made the catch, hit the wall and held onto the ball. It is a big win for our guys against a good team.”

The win gave the Chippewas their third consecutive weekend series win and also marks the first weekend series the Golden Flashes have lost all season.

CMU (18-18 overall, 7-5 Mid-American Conference) got back to .500 overall with the win and Enns earned his fourth win of the season. The sophomore closer came in to pitch the final three innings of the game, striking out two and allowing one earned run.

The run came in the seventh inning when Kent State’s Travis Shaw hit a home run off of the left foul poll that gave the Golden Flashes a 4-3 lead. It was Shaw’s second homer and third RBI of the game. CMU only allowed two home runs against opponents at Theunissen Stadium all of last season.

Senior pitcher Jake Sabol was solid on the mound for CMU again Sunday, pitching six innings while only allowing two earned runs and striking out five batters.

“We really needed to win this series and this is going to catapult us going into the next series,” Sabol said. “For me, it is a confidence booster to show that I can do it against the likes of Kent State one of the better MAC teams.”

The Chippewas’ biggest moment came in the bottom of the eighth inning when sophomore Jordan Dean struck out but was able to reach first base on a passed ball. Russell, the hero for CMU, came in and hit an RBI double to left that scored the game-tying run.

Senior Robbie Harman then stepped in and delivered an RBI single through the left side that scored Russell and gave the Chippewas the series win.

“He’s a senior and sometimes you have to trust your seniors in certain situations,” Jaksa said. “I did feel that Robbie was having some good at-bats. It was a big hit.”

This was a defining series win for the Chippewas, who struggled early on in the season in conference play. CMU won the first game on Friday in walk-off fashion and lost the second game 9-3 in what was a sloppy defensive performance. Now the team turns their attention to the first college game ever played at Comerica Park.

At 6:35 p.m. Wednesday night CMU will face in-state rival Michigan State at Comerica Park. It will be the second time the two teams meet this season as the Chippewas took the first game in East Lansing by a score of 3-1.

“Everyone is really excited just to be a part of the first college game played there,” Sabol said. “Playing in a big league park like that everyone is kind of pumped up.”