Baseball splits doubleheader with No. 23 Hatters on Saturday
After dropping game one of the double-header Saturday the Central Michigan baseball team took game two 7-2 against No. 23 Stetson.
In game one the Chippewas (2-4) recorded five errors and 11 runs with only three of those runs earned. Senior Jon Weaver started the game on the mound but lasted just 3 2/3 innings walking three and giving up seven hits.
In game two senior Ryan Longstreth gave up six hits and allowed one run. The defense committed one error behind him during his seven innings of work earning the win.
“(Jon) Weaver struggled a bit and we didn’t pick up the ball the way we can and I don’t think that helped him, we’ve got to pitch a little bit better and we’ve got to pick up the ball,” head coach Steve Jaksa said. “(Longstreth) had an outing similar to (Zach) Cooper’s on Friday and we picked up the ball.”
The bats came alive for CMU behind Longstreth in game two to the tune of seven runs, 10 hits and for once the Hatters (5-1) committed more errors, with four.
CMU senior William Arnold took a break from catching and moved over to third base and assisted four putouts.
“(Arnold) is not going to catch 56 games, it takes its toll after awhile,” Jaksa said. “We want him to be fresh and sharp because of the way he swings the bat and he has played a lot of places.”
Arnold didn’t fair too well at the plate in game two, but he was able to lengthen his hitting streak to 14-games with a single in the top of the ninth after striking out in his first four at-bats.
Filling in for Arnold behind the plate was redshirt freshman Tyler Huntey who played well behind the plate and at-bat going 1-for-3 with a RBI single, sacrifice bunt and he scored run.
“I felt really comfortable and I knew that our bats were going to start coming around,” Huntey said. “I had a lot of faith in Ryan because I know he can locate it where he wants to throw it.”
A win like this, over an unbeaten and ranked team like Stetson, can be a big confidence builder for the finale Sunday and the rest of the non-conference schedule.
“The team was kind of down and Steve (Jaksa) told us to regroup ourselves and it feels good to finally get that winning feeling again,” Huntey said. “The win lets us know where we’re at right now and that we can compete with any team out there.”
CMU will look to even the series Sunday at 1 p.m. when it hands the ball over to junior pitcher Rick Dodridge who won against Troy last Sunday.
