Baseball blows game one against Akron 8-7
Baseball put up seven runs in regulation of the first four innings of the series-opener against Akron on Friday.
Unfortunately that wasn't enough as the Zips tacked on two runs in the top of the ninth to tie the game at seven after a blown save from sophomore Matt Trowbridge. Akron finished the comeback with a sacrifice fly in the 11th that gave it an 8-7 win. Sophomore Dylan Rheault gave up the final run and took the loss.
The team went down in order in the bottom of the 11th to end the game.
"They kept battling and because of those opportunities we gave them opportunities they didn't deserve," said head coach Steve Jaksa. "I thought our guys played their butts off. The thing that beat us today is that we gave them too many passes."
After a leadoff walk by sophomore Pat MacKenzie, who reached second after a sacrifice bunt and moved to third on a groundout, freshman Logan Regnier was intentionally walked for senior Tom Lally, who was thrown out at first after trying to lay down a bunt single.
Sophomore Cody Leichman led the Chippewas offensively with three RBIs in the first two innings off a well executed hit-and-run in the first and two-run RBI double in the second.
With the two runs in the ninth, Logan Regnier's first career home run in the fourth became that much more important.
"Offensively we did a lot of good things," Jaksa said. "We played a very good ball game, very intense, but we weren't quite complete today."
Sophomore ace Jordan Foley got the start on the mound and went six innings allowing just two hits, but he gave up three earned runs that were aided by six walks.
The walks didn't end when Foley left, junior Kenton San Miguel added two in his inning of work and he was charged with an earned run after he gave up a single to begin the eighth that later came around to score off of freshman Jason Gamble.
"It was uncharacteristic for us (to walk 13 batters)," Jaksa said. "Today was the day that we did it and we couldn't quite get over that hump."
Luckily the bats were going for the Chippewas.
Sophomore Joe Houlihan joined Logan Regnier, Lally and Leichman with multiple hits on the day, the four came up with nine of the team's 11 hits. Lally added an RBI as did senior Jordan Adams.
"I thought we executed quite well," Jaksa said. "It just didn't go our way."
This is important series for both teams as the two are battling for a spot in the upcoming Mid-American Conference tournament. One series remains for both teams after this weekend and CMU came into this weekend with the final No. 8 seed with the Zips one game behind. With the loss, that script is flipped.
"We knew coming in it was a big series and it's still a big series," Jaksa said. "We haven't loss the series, but this one hurts. We will come back and compete again (Saturday) and be ready go."
Freshman Taylor Lehnert will get the start Saturday in game two of the series.
