Baseball season ends in MAC tournament after 17-hour rain delay
Baseball lost to Miami (Ohio) on a 10th-inning walk-off single Friday morning that eliminated the team from the Mid-American Conference tournament and ended its season.
The Chippewas couldn’t score, and the RedHawks struggled at the plate as well, but they did score one run after a leadoff single, stolen base and a sacrifice put the runner on third for the game-ending single to end the Chippewas' season, 6-5.
Two rain delays would slow the pace of the elimination game. One lasted 44 minutes, while the other caused the game to be suspended until Friday morning at 9 a.m. after 17 hours and 45 minutes.
Freshman Taylor Lehnert was the starter for CMU. He went 5.1 innings allowing five runs, three earned and five hits. Four walks were also issued by Lehnert. Freshman Jason Gamble came in to pitch and lasted four innings of four-hit baseball allowing one earned run.
Sophomore Cody Leichman had two hits, including a three-run home run, and freshman Dylan Goodwin had one hit and one RBI, as did freshmen Logan Regnier.
Both teams scored in the first inning. CMU scored three on Leichman's home run before a 44-minute rain delay. The RedHawks responded with one run in the bottom of the first.
In the fourth inning Miami (OH) scored two, making it a 3-3 game heading into the fifth inning.
Both teams exchanged runs in the fifth and sixth innings before the game was suspended. Gamble needed just one pitch to end the sixth inning, and both offenses were cold as the game resumed. Gamble went into the 10th inning, and sophomore Matt Trowbridge gave up the single, but it was Gamble's earned run that ended the season and CMU's tournament hopes.
Game one
The baseball team didn't fare much better in their first game of the tournament, either.
There was a lot of scoring, and it came early, as Kent State had a nine-run lead after just four innings of play. The Golden Flashes never looked back against CMU in their 15-8 win.
Sophomore Jordan Foley started on the mound for the Chippewas, and the second-team all-MAC pitcher didn’t look sharp. He lasted only 1.1 innings, giving up eight earned runs on five hits while issuing five walks over 59 pitches.
Freshmen Jimmy McNamara pitched 3.1 innings in relief of Foley. He allowed eight hits, four runs and struck out three.
The Golden Flashes finished the game with 17 hits, which included two home runs and stole five bases. CMU finished with 13 hits.
Senior Jordan Adams had the best night for CMU. He contributed with three hits while driving in three runs. Sophomore Nick Regnier had two hits and scored two runs and Leichman continued to pound the ball as he led the team with four hits, driving in one run. Freshman Morgan Oliver had one hit and two RBIs in the game.
An RBI triple from redshirt freshman Neal Jacobs in the second inning got his team on the board before he would score on a wild pitch, making it a 4-2 ballgame.
Foley threw 34 pitches in the bottom half of the inning with four wild pitches that helped the Golden Flashes to an 8-2 lead.
In the sixth inning, a solo home run to left by Adams made it 12-3, but CMU couldn’t find any offensive rhythm as Kent State continued to score in the seventh inning, making it a 14-3 game.
It was a 15-4 game heading into the ninth, and the Chippewas attempted to make a comeback, scoring four runs in the ninth, but it wasn't enough as the No. 1 Golden Flashes advanced to the winners' bracket.
