Baseball wins Friday, has doubleheader today
Senior right-hander Jesse Hernandez pitched a complete game as the CMU baseball team defeated Ball State 4-3 Friday at Theunissen Stadium.
Hernandez (6-1) allowed three earned runs while striking out seven as CMU improved to 11-2 in the Mid-American Conference.
“After the first three innings I kind of got into a little rhythm and felt comfortable on the mound,” Hernandez said. “I wanted to let them know I was there but I’m proud of my guys. They played good defense and it was awesome.”
With the win, the Chippewas remain in first place in the MAC West, moving two games ahead of the Cardinals.
Down 2-0 in the first inning, CMU found itself in a come-back situation once again.
Sophomore Nate Theunissen tied the game at 3-3 with an RBI-single to left field, scoring junior Brendan Emmett. After the third inning, Hernandez started to settle in, striking out two in the fourth. He did not allow a single run for the rest of the game.
“This team, they’ve got heart man,” Hernandez said. “... We get down and we come right back. If you look at the scoreboard, we answered every time.”
Senior catcher Dale Cornstubble had two RBIs and one hit in the win. Sophomore Scott Phillion had four singles before being replaced by sophomore Sam Russell in the ninth inning for defensive purposes.
“We had a lot of guys come through and hit a couple of balls pretty hard,” said coach Steve Jaksa. “They believe in themselves and believe in each other."
With bad weather expected over the weekend, today's game is now a doubleheader starting at noon. Sophomore Rick Dodridge and junior Jake Sabol will take the mound in Games 1 and 2 of the doubleheader, respectively.
