Central baseball takes two of three on road
The baseball team scored 25 runs in its weekend series against Ball State to win two of three games.
Central won the first two games of the series, but did not complete the sweep, losing the second game of a Saturday doubleheader 12-4 to close the series in Muncie, Ind.
Central's last trip to Muncie, Ind., came in 2007 where the Chippewas lost two of three games against the Cardinals.
"Playing Ball State in Muncie, in my 11 years here, is a very tough thing to do," said coach Steve Jaksa. "They have had a very good team. I was just really pleased with how we played and how we competed."
CMU collected 16 hits and committed no errors in the final game despite the 8-run loss.
Sophomore right fielder Matt Faiman gave the Chippewas a late lift with a three-run home run in the top of the eighth inning. He went 2-for-3 on the day with three RBIs.
Freshman left-hander Trent Howard started but only lasted three innings after giving up four earned runs. The CMU pitchers had a tough time stopping Ball State sophomore Kolbrin Vitek who went 4-for-5 with three doubles and four runs scored.
Central was able to score 12 runs off 16 hits in the first game of the Saturday doubleheader. The 12-8 victory was the team's ninth game this season reaching double digits.
Junior second baseman Tyler Kipke led the offense with four hits and three runs.
"I felt pretty good all weekend," Kipke said. "I felt like I was seeing the ball pretty well. I was trying to get a good pitch to hit and good things happened."
Senior left-hander Dan Taylor earned his third win of the season. Taylor gave up five runs in the first three innings, but was able to hold the Cardinals scoreless in the next three.
CMU opened the series against BSU with a 9-6 win on Friday, giving Ball State starter Brad Piatt his first loss of the year. Freshman designated hitter Nate Theunissen started a four-run rally in the eighth inning with a two-run home run to take the lead for good.
Jaksa said losing the final game does not tarnish a positive weekend for CMU.
"When you are sitting in the series 2-and-0 it is natural to get greedy and want the sweep," he said. "I know we didn't do everything we wanted to do. We are disappointed we didn't get the sweep, but we accomplished a lot."
Central goes back on the road Tuesday to play Oakland University. The game will conclude a stretch of nine consecutive road games that began April 8.
"It is always more comfortable being at home," Kipke said. "But I don't think anyone on the team really minds being on the road. We come home after all the mid-week games, so it doesn't feel like we have been gone for too long."
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