Eastern Michigan Athletics
Wednesday, May 25
Chillicothe, Ohio
9 a.m.
Eastern Michigan University
4
vs
2
Northern Illinois
Robert Wendzicki
Photo by: Walt Middleton Photography
EMU Opens MAC Tournament with Win Over NIU, 4-2
5/25/2011 12:02:22 PM | Baseball
Senior Robert Wendzicki pitched a gem and the Eagles provided him with enough offense for the victory.
Box Score
Photo Gallery
Alexander Post-game
Wendzicki Post-game
Russell Post-game
CHILLICOTHE, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The fifth-seeded Eastern Michigan University baseball team started the 2011 Mid-American Conference Tournament on the right foot by knocking off the fourth-seeded Northern Illinois Huskies, 4-2, behind the left arm of senior Robert Wendzicki (Brook Park, Ohio-Midpark) at V.A. Memorial Stadium, Wednesday morning, May 25.
Wendzicki (6-5) nearly went the distance, allowing two runs on eight hits while striking out seven and walking one over eight and two-thirds innings. The Brook Park, Ohio native struck out five of the first six batters he faced en route to his sixth victory of the season and avenged an earlier season loss to NIU starting pitcher Zach Oates in the process.
Meanwhile, Oates (4-7) went eight and two-thirds innings as well, but allowed four runs on nine hits while striking out six and walking two.
The Eagles took an early 2-0 nothing lead in the third inning before NIU tied it in the sixth. A go-ahead RBI single by Ken Battiston (West Milton, Ohio-Milton Union) pushed EMU in front and then Daniel Russell (Grandville, Mich.-Grandville) provided a long insurance run with his second home run of the season.
Russell, Brent Ohrman (Adrian, Mich.-Adrian), Zack Leonard (Canton, Ohio-McKinley) and Ben Magsig (Okemos, Mich.-Okemos-Lansing C.C.) each finished with a pair of hits on the day, while NIU's Troy White did the same for the Huskies.
EMU improves to 35-20 on the season and advances to play in the 4 p.m. game tomorrow, taking on the winner between top-seeded Kent State and eighth-seeded Bowling Green. NIU falls to 29-26 overall and will play the loser of Kent State/BGSU at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, May 26.
Both pitchers started strong as Oates struck out two in the top of the first while Wendzicki punched out the side in the bottom of the first.
Wendzicki went on to strike out the first four batters he faced before allowing the first hit to Troy White.
EMU opened the scoring in the third inning with a pair of runs, the first coming on textbook situational hitting as Leonard slapped one through the hole on the right side with Ohrman moving on the pitch. The right fielder Alex Beckman tossed it back in, but the throw was high and to the middle of the infield and that caused Head Coach Jay Alexander to send Ohrman all the way home and he made it without a throw.
The next batter, Magsig, pulled a single to right field, scoring Leonard easily from second after advancing to second on the throw by Beckman.
Trailing 2-0, the Huskies finally cracked the code on Wendzicki in the fifth inning with a run on a trio of singles. With runners on first and second, the EMU left-hander worked Jamison Wells into a full count, but the Huskie center fielder got the best of the battle as he came through with an RBI single up the middle to score Jeff Zimmerman and cut the deficit to 2-1.
Northern Illinois then evened the score in its next at-bat when Troy White drove in Alex Jones with a single to right field.
EMU finally had a response after three consecutive scoreless innings by Oates. Russell led off the frame with a single through the right side and advanced into scoring position on Lee Longos's (Mayfield, Ohio-Mayfield) sacrifice bunt. Two batters later, Battiston took an 0-2 pitch and looped it over the head of the second baseman Alex Klonowski to bring Russell in to give the Eagles a 3-2 lead.
A seventh inning leadoff single by Brett Frantini looked to start another scoring inning for the Huskies, but a botched sacrifice bunt attempt allowed Matt Hitt (Fishers, Ind.-Fishers-Kishwaukee C.C.) to pick off the pinch runner, Connor Schomig. Wendzicki then got the next two hitters to ground out to end the frame.
Eastern Michigan added an insurance run in the top of the ninth when Russell crushed a 1-0 pitch well over the short porch in right field to give the Eagles a 4-2 lead.
Wendzicki was relieved by Kristian Calibuso (Brandon, Fla.-Armwood-Florida State College at Jacksonville) after a two-out single by the pinch-hitter Brian Riegler. Calibuso came in and got the first batter he faced to fly out to the wall in left-center field to end the game for his fifth save of the season.
The Eagles await the winner of Kent State/Bowling Green, which will take place in the 7:30 p.m. game today.
Photo Gallery
Alexander Post-game
Wendzicki Post-game
Russell Post-game
CHILLICOTHE, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The fifth-seeded Eastern Michigan University baseball team started the 2011 Mid-American Conference Tournament on the right foot by knocking off the fourth-seeded Northern Illinois Huskies, 4-2, behind the left arm of senior Robert Wendzicki (Brook Park, Ohio-Midpark) at V.A. Memorial Stadium, Wednesday morning, May 25.
Wendzicki (6-5) nearly went the distance, allowing two runs on eight hits while striking out seven and walking one over eight and two-thirds innings. The Brook Park, Ohio native struck out five of the first six batters he faced en route to his sixth victory of the season and avenged an earlier season loss to NIU starting pitcher Zach Oates in the process.
Meanwhile, Oates (4-7) went eight and two-thirds innings as well, but allowed four runs on nine hits while striking out six and walking two.
The Eagles took an early 2-0 nothing lead in the third inning before NIU tied it in the sixth. A go-ahead RBI single by Ken Battiston (West Milton, Ohio-Milton Union) pushed EMU in front and then Daniel Russell (Grandville, Mich.-Grandville) provided a long insurance run with his second home run of the season.
Russell, Brent Ohrman (Adrian, Mich.-Adrian), Zack Leonard (Canton, Ohio-McKinley) and Ben Magsig (Okemos, Mich.-Okemos-Lansing C.C.) each finished with a pair of hits on the day, while NIU's Troy White did the same for the Huskies.
EMU improves to 35-20 on the season and advances to play in the 4 p.m. game tomorrow, taking on the winner between top-seeded Kent State and eighth-seeded Bowling Green. NIU falls to 29-26 overall and will play the loser of Kent State/BGSU at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, May 26.
Both pitchers started strong as Oates struck out two in the top of the first while Wendzicki punched out the side in the bottom of the first.
Wendzicki went on to strike out the first four batters he faced before allowing the first hit to Troy White.
EMU opened the scoring in the third inning with a pair of runs, the first coming on textbook situational hitting as Leonard slapped one through the hole on the right side with Ohrman moving on the pitch. The right fielder Alex Beckman tossed it back in, but the throw was high and to the middle of the infield and that caused Head Coach Jay Alexander to send Ohrman all the way home and he made it without a throw.
The next batter, Magsig, pulled a single to right field, scoring Leonard easily from second after advancing to second on the throw by Beckman.
Trailing 2-0, the Huskies finally cracked the code on Wendzicki in the fifth inning with a run on a trio of singles. With runners on first and second, the EMU left-hander worked Jamison Wells into a full count, but the Huskie center fielder got the best of the battle as he came through with an RBI single up the middle to score Jeff Zimmerman and cut the deficit to 2-1.
Northern Illinois then evened the score in its next at-bat when Troy White drove in Alex Jones with a single to right field.
EMU finally had a response after three consecutive scoreless innings by Oates. Russell led off the frame with a single through the right side and advanced into scoring position on Lee Longos's (Mayfield, Ohio-Mayfield) sacrifice bunt. Two batters later, Battiston took an 0-2 pitch and looped it over the head of the second baseman Alex Klonowski to bring Russell in to give the Eagles a 3-2 lead.
A seventh inning leadoff single by Brett Frantini looked to start another scoring inning for the Huskies, but a botched sacrifice bunt attempt allowed Matt Hitt (Fishers, Ind.-Fishers-Kishwaukee C.C.) to pick off the pinch runner, Connor Schomig. Wendzicki then got the next two hitters to ground out to end the frame.
Eastern Michigan added an insurance run in the top of the ninth when Russell crushed a 1-0 pitch well over the short porch in right field to give the Eagles a 4-2 lead.
Wendzicki was relieved by Kristian Calibuso (Brandon, Fla.-Armwood-Florida State College at Jacksonville) after a two-out single by the pinch-hitter Brian Riegler. Calibuso came in and got the first batter he faced to fly out to the wall in left-center field to end the game for his fifth save of the season.
The Eagles await the winner of Kent State/Bowling Green, which will take place in the 7:30 p.m. game today.
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