Baseball Falls Just Short at Arizona, 9-8

Box Score.

TUCSON, Ariz. (EMUEagles.com)— The Eastern Michigan University baseball team held a one-run lead with six outs to get, but the University of Arizona tied the game in the eighth and scored the walk-off winner in the bottom of the ninth to claim a 9-8 win Sunday afternoon, March 11, at Hi Corbett Field. The Eagles posted another solid offensive performance, but a potent Arizona lineup prevailed to sweep the weekend set.

The Eagles (3-11) scored four runs in the top of the eighth inning to erase a three-run Arizona (13-2) lead and take an 8-7 edge. The No. 7 Wildcats then scored in the eighth and Robert Refsnyder's RBI single with one out in the ninth sealed the game for UA.

Eastern Michigan lost for a sixth straight time despite scoring eight runs and hitting four triples. Head Coach Jay Alexander's squad finished the weekend hitting .262 including an even .300 average for the final two games against a tough Wildcats' pitching staff.

Matt Hitt notched a go-ahead two-RBI double in the eighth inning and finished the game 1-for-3. Brent Ohrman, Bo Kinder, Ben Magsig and Sam Ott all tripled Sunday. Ohrman went 3-for-5 an RBI and Kinder's triple marked a second straight day the senior recorded a three-bagger. Magsig hit 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI and Ott was 1-for-3 with an RBI.

Neil Butara (0-1) pitched two innings and was charged with a pair of earned runs and the loss. Brian Valente started on the hill for the Eagles and tossed five and one-thirds innings, surrendering seven earned runs while giving up 10 hits.

Arizona's starter James Farris lasted six innings before being chased early in the seventh. Reliever Mathew Troupe (2-0) picked up the win in one and two-thirds innings of work despite giving up two earned runs.

Offensively, Seth Mejias-Brean led Arizona with a 3-for-5 performance including an RBI, a walk, a double, a triple and a stolen base.

EMU took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Magsig scored on a passed ball from third base after leading off with a triple.

As they had all weekend, the Wildcats responded with four runs in the bottom half of that inning to take a 4-1 lead.

Both teams scored a single run in the fifth and a pair in the sixth to make it a 7-4 game for Arizona with three innings to play. Ohrman plated Kinder on an RBI triple and Lee Longo hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Ohrman in the sixth.

In the bottom of the sixth, Collin Taylor inherited a bases-loaded, one-out jam, and recorded a strikeout and groundout to keep Arizona's inning run total at two.

With Arizona seemingly in control, the Eagles sent eight men to the plate and scored four times to roar ahead, 8-7, in the eighth inning. Ott's RBI triple brought Ohrman in to score for the inning's first run. Magsig and Hitt then registered back-to-back doubles against Arizona reliever Tyler Crawford and the Eagles were back in the lead.

The Wildcats tied the game, 8-8, in their next at-bat when Mejias-Brean's RBI single plated Refsnyder. Then in the ninth, John Rubino, a defensive replacement for second baseman Austin Williams, committed a fielding error and allowed Bobby Brown to reach base. Brown would eventually come around to touch home plate on Refsnyder's walk-off single to left field.

The Eagles are back in action Tuesday and Wednesday, March 13-14, when they wrap up their 17-game road trip in Morgantown, WV against West Virginia.

Next Event

Team Stats

Brent Ohrman

Ben Magsig

Bo Kinder

Sam Ott

Eastern Michigan Athletics