Softball Looks to Get Back on Track in Midweek Action

Softball at Toledo & at Detroit Mercy
Date	Tuesday-Wednesday, April 4-5
Venue	Toledo, Ohio \| Detroit, Mich.
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stream	G ame 1 vs. Toledo \| Game 2 vs. Toledo
Live Stats	vs. Toledo \| vs. Detroit Mercy
Twitter	@EMUSoftball \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University softball team opens a six-game road stint with a pair of midweek run-ins, Tuesday-Wednesday, April 4-5. First, the Eagles head to Toledo, Ohio for a Mid-American Conference West doubleheader against the University of Toledo, April 4. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. From there, the Green and White trek into the Motor City for a single game against the Titans of the University of Detroit Mercy, April 5, at 3 p.m.
   Live stats will be available for all three of EMU's games, while Eastern's twin bill against Toledo will also air on ESPN3. Links can be found on the schedule page of EMUEagles.com.

TALE OF THE TAPE: Having lost six of their last eight, the Eagles will look to take advantage of a pair of rivals to get back on track this week. EMU holds a 105-57 combined record against Toledo and Detroit all-time.
   Eastern leads the all-time series versus Toledo, 57-49. UT took two of three from EMU last season, but the Eagles took the series finale, 8-6. Meanwhile, Eastern Michigan has dominated Detroit in 56 all-time meetings, holding a 48-8 lead in the series. The two squads split last season's doubleheader, but the Eagles topped the Titans, 5-4 in extras earlier this season.

SLOW START TO LEAGUE PLAY: The Eagles have struggled at the plate to begin conference play, hitting just .179 at the dish as a team. Meanwhile, opponents are hitting a healthy .302 at the plate, and have out-hit the Eagles 49-25 through six games. To make matters worse, the Green and White have been outscored by a 41-16 tally and own a 7.46 team earned run average.

COMPLETE GAME GEM: Sophomore Nicolle Miranda turned in one of her most efficient outings of the season, going the distance and tossing just 86 pitches to lock up the complete game shutout and give EMU a 3-0 win over Akron, April 1. Miranda posted her first shutout of the season, while fanning two and allowing just four hits.

NO-NO IN THE WRONG WAY: Eastern Michigan was held without a hit in its series finale against Akron, April 2. Dropping the game 9-0, the Eagles were held without a hit for the first time since April 16, 2014 versus Michigan State.

EMU AGAINST THE MAC: Eastern Michigan owns a 393-493-2 all-time record against teams in the Mid-American Conference, and has been a member of the league since 1982. The Eagles have been the most successful against Ohio, Miami, and Toledo. The Green and White lead the series with the Rockets, 57-49, while holding 50-34 and 44-39 edges in series with Ohio and Miami, respectively. Meanwhile, EMU trails in the all-time series with Akron (21-32), Ball State (38-59), Bowling Green (39-54), Kent State (33-50), Northern Illinois (25-38), and Western Michigan (42-66-1).

AH, WE MEET AGAIN: Eastern Michigan and Detroit will meet for the second time this season Wednesday, April 5. EMU took the early season meeting, 5-4, on a walk-off hit by Michelle Kriegshauser.
   Trailing 4-3, Olivia Logan was placed on second for the Eagles in the bottom of the eighth. Haley Hostetler moved her to third on a sacrifice bunt, before freshman Sam Isaly drew a pinch hit walk to put runners on the corners with Lucy Lopez stepping to the plate. With Lopez on a tear, Detroit decided to intentionally walk EMU's nine-hitter to bring up Kriegshauser. As she has done all season long, Kriegshauser dug in and smoked a walk-off two-run single down the left field line, giving Eastern the 5-4 victory.

WINNING THE CLOSE ONES: Eastern Michigan has seen more than its fair share of one-run games this season. In fact, roughly half of EMU's games this season have been decided by one run. The Green and White are 9-4 in one-run games this season, a vast improvement over last year's mark of 3-9 in games decided by one run.

DEPENDS ON THE DAY: Through its first 30 games, Eastern Michigan has pieced together a 13-17 overall record.
   In wins, the Green and White are outscoring opponents 73-38, and own a .331 team batting average. EMU has cranked out 116 hits in wins, while holding opponents to 90. Additionally, the Eagles' hurlers hold a 2.31 ERA in wins.
   On the flip side, EMU has seen its struggles at the plate in losses. The Eagles are hitting just .202 as a team in their 17 setbacks this season, and have been outscored 107-27. In the circle, Eastern's pitching has seen its ERA jump to 5.72 in losses, while opposing pitchers are credited with a 1.29 ERA.

BASED ON THE BATS: Eastern Michigan's success this season has relied heavily on the Eagles bats and EMU's ability to manufacture hits. The Eagles are 10-2 this season when they outhit opponents, compared to 2-11 when the opposition leads in the hit column. Additionally, scoring three-or-more runs has become a true tale sign of EMU's success. In 13 of the Eagles' 15 losses, the Green and White have not plated more than two runs. Conversely, when the Eagles score at least three runs, they boast an 12-4 record.

ON DECK: EMU closes out its six-game roadtrip with a weekend series against Bowling Green State University, April 7-8, in Bowling Green, Ohio. The three-game set begins with a 3 p.m. first pitch Friday, April 7, before the series wraps up with a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Haley Hostetler

Sam Isaly

Michelle Kriegshauser

Olivia Logan

Lucy Lopez

Nicolle Miranda

Eastern Michigan Athletics