Walks and errors haunt baseball team in season opener
The little things can make or break a ball game.
The Central Michigan baseball team found that out the hard way with a 7-3 loss in the season opener at Troy in Troy, Ala.
The Chippewas (0-1) were doomed by errors, walks and a lights-out performance by Trojans (1-0). Troy senior starting pitcher Tyler Ray earned career win No. 28, which is the best in the nation behind his six innings of work including eight strikeouts and two hits with one earned run.
CMU starting pitcher, senior Zach Cooper, didn’t have a bad start. He went six innings allowing just two hits and one earned run with seven strikeouts.
The difference was the Cooper's control. He gave out six free passes, two wild pitches and hit one batter, Ray walked just three.
The Chippewas also had four errors fielding. Of the seven runs Troy scored only two were earned.
CMU actually out hit the Trojans with four hits on the night. Senior catcher William Arnold was responsible for two of those hits one of which being a solo home run in the sixth inning. He earned another RBI giving CMUan early 1-0 lead in the first inning on a grounder to second base.
The Trojans only had two hits on the night and didn’t get one hit after the fifth inning.
CMU freshman pitcher Sean Renzi came in for the seventh inning and didn’t allow a single hit.
He did however hit three batters and walked another three giving him one earned run during his two innings of work.
It was a close game until Troy pulled away in the eighth inning with three runs without getting a hit.
The Chippewas will look to clean things up and get back in the series tomorrow when they kickoff a double-header at noon with the second game beginning 30 minutes after the finish of game one.
Senior pitchers Ryan Longstreth and Jon Weaver will be starting tomorrow for CMU.
