EMU Baseball Holds Off Trojans For 7-6 Win

Posted: Mar 4, 2010 at 9:45 AM [Mar 4, 2010]

Box score

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (EMUEagles.com) – After dropping an 11-run decision to the University of Arkansas-Little Rock a night earlier, the Eastern Michigan University baseball team came back strong Wednesday afternoon, March 3, to claim a 7-6 victory over the Trojans at Gary Hogan Field.

EMU improves to 3-5 with the win, while UALR drops to 7-2 with the loss.

Junior Ken Battiston (West Milton, Ohio-Milton Union) paced the EMU offense in the victory, as he belted his second home run of the season in the win in the top of the fifth to put the Eagles over the edge and give the team a 7-5 advantage. Battiston finished 2-for-6 at the plate with three runs scored and two RBI, extending his hitting streak to eight games.

Freshman pitcher Joe Battistelli (Allen Park, Mich.-Allen Park) picked up his first career victory, as he went three and two-thirds innings in relief of starter Tim Combs (Dayton, Ohio-Wayne), striking out five batters and giving up just one run on three hits and three walks.

The Eagles jumped out to take an early lead in the top of the first inning, as a leadoff triple by Battiston followed by a UALR errors and fielder’s choice groundout to give EMU a 2-0 advantage. Battiston helped make it a 3-0 game an inning later after a bases loaded walk to senior Todd Graves (St. Marys, Ohio-St. Marys Memorial) plated the junior outfielder to extend the lead.

Arkansas-Little rock cut Eastern Michigan’s lead to one an inning later, as double to left center by Wilson plated a pair of Trojans to make it a 3-2 game.

But the Eagles claimed a three-run lead in the top of the third, as a pair of RBI singles by junior college transfers Bo Kinder (Wapella, Ill.-Clinton Community-Kaskaskia College) and Ben Magsig (Okemos, Mich.-Okemos-Lansing C.C.) put EMU ahead, 5-2. Kinder finished the contest 2-for-5 with one run scored and one RBI, while Magsig reached base six times, going 2-for-2 with four walks to go along with one run scored and one RBI.

The Trojans made it a one-run game in the bottom of the third with an RBI sacrifice fly by Casey McCollum and an RBI single down the right field line by Nate Brown to make it a 5-4 game. UALR tacked on another run in the bottom of the fourth to knot the game at 5-5.

But Battiston gave the Eagles a two-run edge in the top of the fifth, belting a two-run homer over the left field wall to plate teammate senior Aaron Crooks (Toledo, Ohio-Ottawa Hills), who doubled earlier in the inning, giving EMU a 7-5 lead.

The Eagles held off the Trojans in the bottom of the ninth, who threatened with a leadoff double by Rowell and an RBI single by Wilson to make it a 7-6 game. But freshmen pitchers Taylor Dimmerling (Perrysburg, Ohio-Perrysburg) and Brett Cisper (Loveland, Ohio-Moeller) held the UALR bats in check for the remainder of the inning and EMU escaped with the victory.

Senior Andrew Marshall (Mason, Mich.-Mason) went 2-for-4 at the plate with one run scored in the victory, while junior Matt Skirving (Midland, Mich.-H.H. Dow) went 1-for-3 with a pair of walks to go along with one RBI.

The Eagles are back in action Friday, March 5, when they head to Nashville, Tenn. for a three-game set against the Belmont University Bruins. Friday’s game is scheduled for 3 p.m., while the two teams have an afternoon doubleheader slated to begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 6, at Shelby Park.