Baseball team gets blanked by Hoosiers
The CMU baseball team was shut out 9-0 Sunday by Indiana to extend its losing streak to four games and end its Florida road trip.
The team had won four consecutive games before the skid started, including a three-game sweep of Central Florida last weekend in Orlando, Fla.
Indiana’s ace, sophomore Drew Leininger, pitched a complete game shutout while allowing eight hits and striking out four.
CMU junior Jake Sabol started the game for the Chippewas and pitched six and one-third innings while allowing four earned runs. Sabol (2-1) kept the team in the game early, but a four-run eighth inning put the game out of reach for the Chippewas.
Coach Steve Jaksa said the long road trip early in the year allows coaches to get a feel for their team by being with their players on an extended basis.
“It gives you an opportunity to play,” he said. “Without this trip, we wouldn’t be able to play. It gives us a chance to get to know our guys and more chances to work with them.”
Despite allowing nine runs Sunday and losing 7-3 to North Dakota State on Saturday, Jaksa said the pitching was not as big of a concern to him.
“We had many more positives than negatives with our pitching, and we have some room for improvement within our bullpen,” he said. “Hitting is a work in progress right now. We have some good hitters, but we need to be more consistent.”
What's ahead
The Chippewas now head to Michigan for their home opener at 3 p.m. Tuesday against Davenport at Theunissen Stadium.
Davenport (6-9) also returns from a long trip to Florida. It lost two games before the last two were canceled because of weather.
The Chippewas have added a home game Wednesday against Concordia University. The pitching rotation has not been finalized for the week.
Jaksa said the team is excited for its home opener despite the change in weather.
“They will be excited once we get there,” Jaksa said. “There is always excitement for a home opener, and it is a great opportunity to get in front of our home fans.”
