CMU baseball goes 1-3 on opening weekend
Central Michigan baseball traveled to Nacogdoches, Texas, for the opening weekend of the 2024 season where it went 1-3.
The Chippewas split two games with Stephen F. Austin, winning 9-4 and losing 6-5. CMU got swept in its other two matchups with Texas A&M Corpus Christi, losing 3-1 and 13-1.
Game 1
The Chippewas dropped their season opener, 3-1 to Texas A&M Corpus Christi in a close matchup on Friday.
After five scoreless innings, Central Michigan finally broke through after a throwing error from the Islanders led to a run by senior second baseman Nick Dardas.
Two more scoreless innings followed, and CMU looked to end the game on the mound at the top of the ninth, but the Islanders tied the game up at one with a solo home run, taking the game into extra innings.
After nothing in the 10th, the Islanders finally put it away in the 11th after a triple to center field brought in two runners.
Game 2
In their second game on Friday, the Chippewas bounced back to get their first win of the season, beating Stephen F. Austin 9-4.
CMU got out to a hot start with seven hits and five runs in the first two innings with junior right fielder Robby Morgan IV leading the charge, crossing the plate twice.
The Chippewas extended their lead to 6-0 at the top of the fourth after a scoreless third inning.
The Lumberjacks finally got on the board in the bottom of the fifth with two runs of their own, but it didn’t matter because the Chippewas answered right back with three more runs in the next two innings.
After a scoreless eighth inning and two more runs from the Lumberjacks in the ninth, CMU closed out the game to get the win 9-4.
Junior pitcher Adam Mrakitsch got the win on the mound with 11 strikeouts and four walks while only allowing two runs on two hits through five innings.
Game 3
CMU lost its second-straight to Texas A&M Corpus Christi in a blowout, 13-1 on Saturday.
The game started with two scoreless innings before the Islanders shot out of a cannon, scoring eight runs in two innings, headlined by a home run in the fourth.
A scoreless fifth inning was followed by five more Islanders reaching home in the bottom of the sixth, partly in thanks to a home run that brought in three runs.
With the score standing at a 13-run deficit, senior right fielder Marquis Jackson hit a solo homer to right field, giving the Chippewas something positive to take away from this game.
The game ended after 6.5 innings due to the NCAA baseball mercy rule.
Game 4
The Chippewas lost a close one to Stephen F. Austin, 6-5 in their final game of the weekend on Sunday.
Unlike the first matchup, the Lumberjacks struck first in the game with two runs in the first.
The Chippewas responded with a solo home run from Morgan IV, but the Lumberjacks answered right back with two runs of their own, which included a solo home run, bringing the score to 4-1.
CMU scored again in the third to make it 4-2. After two scoreless innings, the Chippewas tied the game at four.
Following a scoreless seventh, Morgan IV hit a clutch solo homer to center field, his second of the day.
Leading 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth, the Chippewas looked to close the game out on the mound. Unfortunately, an error by the shortstop led to two runs by the Lumberjacks stealing the win.
Central Michigan is back in action on Tuesday to play Stephen F. Austin at 7:30 p.m.
