Saving the series
Matthew StephensThe baseball team jumped out of the dugout as junior Ricky Clark executed a hit-and-run to give CMU its first lead of the day in the eighth inning of game two Saturday against Buffalo.
With the scored tied 3-3 and Clark up to bat, redshirt freshman Andrew Thomas was brought in to pinch-run for freshman third baseman Reid Rooney. Clark showed bunt to draw in the defense, but as the pitch approached the plate, he corrected his stance and hit a line drive into right field with both runners in motion.
Before the eighth inning, CMU was held to no runs on just five hits and was down 3-0 six outs away from a series loss.
"The biggest thing you can do in that situation is to keep the same approach," Clark said. "Keep that same blue collar mentality at the bat and do what you always do."
CMU's seven-run inning allowed it to pull away for a 7-3 win after dropping the first game 6-1.
The win gave CMU a split in the doubleheader Saturday and a 2-1 series win. The Chippewas are now 11-14 overall and 3-3 in the Mid-American Conference. Clark said the team expected to have a better start against MAC competition.
"We wanted to be 6-0 in the MAC at this point," Clark said. "Our young guys have come a long way, and we are still a team who can do big things in the MAC."
Freshman pitcher Trent Howard earned a no-decision despite not giving up his first hit until the fifth inning. Buffalo got its first hit on a single to shallow left field. Howard walked the next batter and then gave up a three-run home run to Buffalo's Eric Glynn.
Coach Steve Jaska said Howard was pitching on three days of rest.
"I am glad that we could get the win for him and keep that one bad inning from haunting him," he said. "The guys who came in after Howard did a great job at keeping them at three runs. They kept it within reach for us to come back."
Freshman catcher Rhett Goodmiller got on base four times for the Chippewas in the second game. He went 1-for-2 with three walks. Goodmiller was the seventh and final run to cross the plate in the eighth inning.
"I stay relaxed at the plate and wait for a good pitch to hit," he said. "In the eighth inning, I was just trying to come through with a base hit. I wanted to do anything I could to keep the rally going."
CMU was held scoreless in 15 innings in the two games on Saturday. The Chippewas dropped the first game of the doubleheader 6-1.
Buffalo pitcher Pierre Miville-Deschenes earned his third win of the season with six strikeouts in nine innings of work. The right-hander was able to hold CMU to one run on four hits.
Sophomore right fielder Matt Faiman had CMU's lone RBI with a single to right field that brought in junior center fielder Billy Anderson in the third inning.
CMU hosts its fourth consecutive game 3:05 p.m. Tuesday against Wayne State. The game will be the 50th meeting between the two programs. CMU has dominated the series 41-8 and won last year's game 14-8.
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