CMU edged by Notre Dame
The little things in baseball can rewrite the entire script of a game.
In Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to Notre Dame at Frank Eck Stadium in South Bend, Ind., the Central Michigan baseball team struggled with the little plays that could have changed the game.
With CMU trailing 3-2, junior Sam Russell led off the ninth inning with a triple for the Chippewas and it seemed the game was destined to head to extra innings. Sophomore Jordan Dean then drew a walk, but back-to-back strikeouts from senior Tom Howard and junior Nate Theunissen put the Chippewas in a tough spot.
“Those mental errors can come back to haunt you,” said head coach Steve Jaksa. “We just have to stay the course and do the things we are supposed to do.”
Sophomore Eric Wrozek grounded out to end the game, giving Fighting Irish closer Dan Slania his third save of the season.
It was a pitcher's duel before the Fighting Irish broke things open in the sixth inning.
UND freshman Trey Mancini hit an RBI double that scored Eric Jagielo to get things started. Matt Grosso followed with a single, scoring Mancini and forcing CMU senior starter Bryce Morrow out of the game.
Morrow (0-3), a right-hander, finished the game with 5 1/3 innings pitched, three strikeouts, one walk and three earned runs before being relieved by sophomore Dietrich Enns.
“It is a tough loss for him (Morrow). He went into the sixth inning without giving up a run,” Jaksa said. “He did a really nice job and kept us in the game.”
Notre Dame wasn't finished in the sixth, when Herman Petzold hit an RBI double off Enns to bring in the third run of the inning, giving the Irish a 3-0 lead.
The wheels seemed to fall off for CMU, but in the seventh inning after a Howard single, Theunissen stepped up to the plate.
Theunissen has struggled early in the season, but had the type of game that could change a season with two extra-base hits.
The junior first baseman blasted his first home run of the season over the right center field wall, bringing the Chippewas within one run. It was the 17th home run of his career.
Notre Dame sophomore starter Adam Norton had a solid outing, going seven innings while striking out seven and only allowing two earned runs.
CMU failed to muster any more offense in the game, dropping its record to 9-16 overall. The Chippewas have now lost seven out of their last eight games.
“The games on the schedule are going to keep coming,” Jaksa said. “We just have to make sure we stay positive and just do the job that is at hand.”
The team travels to East Lansing today to take on the Michigan State Spartans at McLane Baseball Stadium in the first of a three-game season series. First pitch is scheduled for 3:05 p.m.
