Baseball strikes for six runs in the fifth inning, five in the sixth to upend Notre Dame on road
After taking two out of three on the road over the weekend, the Central Michigan baseball team continued its strong play away from Theunissen Stadium on Wednesday.
CMU got huge offensive production in the fifth and sixth innings to beat Notre Dame 12-2 at Frank Eck Stadium in Notre Dame, Ind.
The Fighting Irish held a 2-1 lead through four innings but collapsed in the fifth – walking five CMU batters and committing two errors in the field – as the Chippewas were able to scored six and take a 7-2 lead.
"The six runs were huge at that point," said coach Steve Jaksa. "We were in a position to keep the game really close and, all of a sudden, they struggled to throw the ball over the plate."
Sophomore Scott Phillion had one of two CMU hits in the inning, a two-run single that scored juniors Brendan Emmett (1-for-2, one RBI) and Matt Faiman (scored twice).
CMU (27-19) continued its scoring blitz in the sixth with five runs off four hits and another Notre Dame error.
A two-run single by senior Dale Cornstubble (one run scored) started the inning’s scoring and Phillion (3-for-4, four RBIs) added another RBI single to put the game out of reach.
"Our guys showed some really good patience at the plate and made the (N.D. pitchers) throw strikes, which I was really happy with," Jaksa said. "We put up a big inning and were able to distance ourselves a little bit and we took advantage of that."
Senior James Teas went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Redshirt freshman Brock Geutzke gave up two runs on six hits in seven innings pitched to earn the first win of his career. Geutzke entered the game with a 10.80 ERA after allowing 12 runs on 15 hits in 10 innings.
"I’m happy for him," Jaksa said. "He stuck with the plan and kept working to get better. He was very aggressive, his fastball was lively – it had some good downward movement on it – and he was able to throw some balls inside and keep the guys off balance."
First baseman Casey Martin went 3-for-4 with an RBI for Notre Dame (20-28).
CMU begins a crucial weekend series against Western Michigan at Theunissen Stadium at 3:05 p.m. Friday. Senior Jesse Hernandez (6-2, 4.18 ERA) will get the start after getting a no-decision in Friday’s 9-8 extra innings loss against Toledo.
The Chippewas are currently tied with the Rockets for second in the MAC West, a game behind division leader Ball State.
