Eastern Michigan Athletics
Sunday, March 2
Clinton, S.C.
12 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
5-5
9
at
10
Presbyterian
6-6
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Eastern Michigan
1
0
1
2
2
0
0
3
0
9
12
0
Presbyterian
0
2
0
1
0
0
5
0
2
10
9
3
Baseball Drops Series Finale to Presbyterian, Splits Weekend Series
3/2/2025 4:49:00 PM | Baseball
Giano Zuccaro crushed a three-run homer in the eighth, giving the Eagles the 9-8 lead, but that wouldn’t hold as Presbyterian came back to win, 10-9
CLINTON, S.C. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team fell to Presbyterian College in a back-and-forth affair, 10-9, concluding the series with the Blue Hose in a split at the PC Baseball Complex Sunday, March 2.
Senior outfielder Giano Zuccaro (Middleburg Heights, Ohio/Berea Midpark/Charleston) crushed a three-run homer to right in the eighth, giving the Eagles the 9-8 lead, but that would not hold as Presbyterian scored two runs in the ninth to win it.
The Eagles' record shifts to 4-6 (0-0 Mid-American Conference) on the season while Blue Hose improved to 6-6 (0-0 Big South).
How it Happened
Devan Zirwas (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny/VCU) got the scoring started for the Eagles, singling to right center to score John Hale (Ashland City, Tenn./Sycamore/Motlow State C.C.), before the Blue Hose plated two in the second to take the 2-1 advantage.
Zirwas stepped up again in the third, sending a solo shot to right field to tie the game, 2-2, marking his second homer of the season. The homer was part of a productive day for the junior infielder as he batted 2-for-5 at the plate with two RBI and one home run.
Brendan Kleiman (Olney, Md./Sherwood/Frederick C.C.) drove in two in the fourth, bringing his RBI total to six on the year and giving the Eagles the 4-2 lead. Presbyterian scored one on a groundout to third in the fourth, before a Logan Hugo (Essexville, Mich./Essexville Garber) RBI single and a Connor Walsh (Mattawan, Mich./Mattawan) sacrifice fly furthered the Green and White's lead to 6-3.
The game was scoreless in the sixth, before the Blue Hose homered in back-to-back at-bats, the first of which going for two runs and the second for one, tying the game at six runs apiece, forcing EMU to call to the bullpen. Presbyterian went on to score five in the inning, taking an 8-6 lead.
The lead did not last long as Zuccaro sent his first homer of the year over the right-field wall, a three-run shot to vault the Eagles ahead of the Blue Hose, 9-8.
The Blue Hose loaded the bases in the ninth and, tying the score off a sacrifice fly to right field and winning the game off a wild pitch that allowed the runner from third to score.
Game Notes
» Zirwas went 3-for-4 from the plate with one home run and two RBI, the game marked his fourth multi-hit game of the season and third with multiple-RBI. After today's game, he leads the Eagles in batting average (.389), doubles (7), and total bases (27). He also continued a team high and season-long nine-game reached-base streak.
» Eastern recorded 12 hits, marking its seventh time eclipsing the 10-hit mark this season. It produces a 3-4 record when doing so as the Green & White stand first in the MAC with 107 hits. Additionally, Eastern out-hit its opponent, 12-9, marking its eighth time with more hits than its foe this season. Eastern is .500 (4-4) when out-hitting its foe in 2025.
» Eastern struck out a season-low three times and worked four walks. The game marks the second occurrence this season with more walks than strikeouts. The team produces a 1-1 record in such games. The three strikeouts are the least since the Eagles fanned just twice in a walk-off win over Central Michigan last season, March 30.
» Zuccaro's homer in the eighth marked his first of the season and the Eagles' second of the game. Eastern has homered multiple times five times this season, coincidentally producing a 1-4 record when doing so. Additionally, the squad's 15 homers stands second in the MAC.
» Kleiman posted a 2-for-5 day with two RBI for his third multi-hit performance and second game with multiple RBI in 2025.
» Eastern batted .307 in the game and maintained their MAC-best .301 batting average. Its nine runs elevated its total to 74 on the season, standing second in the MAC.
» Bruce Jellison (Hartland, Mich./Hartland/Wabash Valley) recorded one hit in the game. He is tied for the most hits in the conference with 15.
» 8-of-9 EMU starters knocked at least one hit while five drove in runs.
» Eastern played clean defensively with zero errors for the fifth time this season, producing a 2-3 record in those games.
» Eastern was strong at the plate in situational hitting, it batted .524 in advancement opportunities (11-for-21), .444 when leading off (4-for-9), .400 with runners on third and less than two outs (2-for-5), .333 with runners in scoring position and with two outs (4-for-12), and capitalized on its lone bases-loaded opportunity of the game.
Historical Notes
» Sunday's game marked the sixth all-time meeting between Eastern Michigan and Presbyterian. Eastern has the lead in the series, 4-2.
Up Next
Eastern has its first mid-week contest of the season as it will travel to South Bend, Ind., to face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Wednesday, March 5. First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m.
Follow Us
For all things EMU Baseball, be sure to check out the team's social media accounts, including EMU_Baseball on X (formerly Twitter) and emu_baseball on Instagram.
Senior outfielder Giano Zuccaro (Middleburg Heights, Ohio/Berea Midpark/Charleston) crushed a three-run homer to right in the eighth, giving the Eagles the 9-8 lead, but that would not hold as Presbyterian scored two runs in the ninth to win it.
The Eagles' record shifts to 4-6 (0-0 Mid-American Conference) on the season while Blue Hose improved to 6-6 (0-0 Big South).
How it Happened
Devan Zirwas (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny/VCU) got the scoring started for the Eagles, singling to right center to score John Hale (Ashland City, Tenn./Sycamore/Motlow State C.C.), before the Blue Hose plated two in the second to take the 2-1 advantage.
Zirwas stepped up again in the third, sending a solo shot to right field to tie the game, 2-2, marking his second homer of the season. The homer was part of a productive day for the junior infielder as he batted 2-for-5 at the plate with two RBI and one home run.
Brendan Kleiman (Olney, Md./Sherwood/Frederick C.C.) drove in two in the fourth, bringing his RBI total to six on the year and giving the Eagles the 4-2 lead. Presbyterian scored one on a groundout to third in the fourth, before a Logan Hugo (Essexville, Mich./Essexville Garber) RBI single and a Connor Walsh (Mattawan, Mich./Mattawan) sacrifice fly furthered the Green and White's lead to 6-3.
The game was scoreless in the sixth, before the Blue Hose homered in back-to-back at-bats, the first of which going for two runs and the second for one, tying the game at six runs apiece, forcing EMU to call to the bullpen. Presbyterian went on to score five in the inning, taking an 8-6 lead.
The lead did not last long as Zuccaro sent his first homer of the year over the right-field wall, a three-run shot to vault the Eagles ahead of the Blue Hose, 9-8.
The Blue Hose loaded the bases in the ninth and, tying the score off a sacrifice fly to right field and winning the game off a wild pitch that allowed the runner from third to score.
Game Notes
» Zirwas went 3-for-4 from the plate with one home run and two RBI, the game marked his fourth multi-hit game of the season and third with multiple-RBI. After today's game, he leads the Eagles in batting average (.389), doubles (7), and total bases (27). He also continued a team high and season-long nine-game reached-base streak.
» Eastern recorded 12 hits, marking its seventh time eclipsing the 10-hit mark this season. It produces a 3-4 record when doing so as the Green & White stand first in the MAC with 107 hits. Additionally, Eastern out-hit its opponent, 12-9, marking its eighth time with more hits than its foe this season. Eastern is .500 (4-4) when out-hitting its foe in 2025.
» Eastern struck out a season-low three times and worked four walks. The game marks the second occurrence this season with more walks than strikeouts. The team produces a 1-1 record in such games. The three strikeouts are the least since the Eagles fanned just twice in a walk-off win over Central Michigan last season, March 30.
» Zuccaro's homer in the eighth marked his first of the season and the Eagles' second of the game. Eastern has homered multiple times five times this season, coincidentally producing a 1-4 record when doing so. Additionally, the squad's 15 homers stands second in the MAC.
» Kleiman posted a 2-for-5 day with two RBI for his third multi-hit performance and second game with multiple RBI in 2025.
» Eastern batted .307 in the game and maintained their MAC-best .301 batting average. Its nine runs elevated its total to 74 on the season, standing second in the MAC.
» Bruce Jellison (Hartland, Mich./Hartland/Wabash Valley) recorded one hit in the game. He is tied for the most hits in the conference with 15.
» 8-of-9 EMU starters knocked at least one hit while five drove in runs.
» Eastern played clean defensively with zero errors for the fifth time this season, producing a 2-3 record in those games.
» Eastern was strong at the plate in situational hitting, it batted .524 in advancement opportunities (11-for-21), .444 when leading off (4-for-9), .400 with runners on third and less than two outs (2-for-5), .333 with runners in scoring position and with two outs (4-for-12), and capitalized on its lone bases-loaded opportunity of the game.
Historical Notes
» Sunday's game marked the sixth all-time meeting between Eastern Michigan and Presbyterian. Eastern has the lead in the series, 4-2.
Up Next
Eastern has its first mid-week contest of the season as it will travel to South Bend, Ind., to face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Wednesday, March 5. First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m.
Follow Us
For all things EMU Baseball, be sure to check out the team's social media accounts, including EMU_Baseball on X (formerly Twitter) and emu_baseball on Instagram.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Jacob Fields (2-0)
L: Norris, Drew (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Zuccaro, Giano 1
HR: Zirwas, Devan 1 ; Zuccaro, Giano 1
RBI: Kleiman, Brendan 2 ; Zirwas, Devan 2 ; Zuccaro, Giano 3 ; Hugo, Logan 1 ; Walsh, Connor 1
SF: Walsh, Connor 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hale, John 2 ; Jones, Drew 1 ; Zirwas, Devan 1 ; Zuccaro, Giano 2 ; Hugo, Logan 1 ; Walsh, Connor 1 ; Vance, Cooper 1
SB: Hugo, Logan 1
CS: Zirwas, Devan 1
HBP: Zuccaro, Giano 1
Batting:
2B: Jackson Hugus 1
HR: Brody Linker 1 ; Ryan Ouzts 1
RBI: Trey Fenderson 1 ; Rhogue Wallace 1 ; Cam Mallo 1 ; Brody Linker 3 ; Ryan Ouzts 2
SF: Cam Mallo 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Mikah Conner 1 ; Trey Fenderson 1 ; Rhogue Wallace 1 ; Jake Randolph 1 ; Jackson Hugus 2 ; Brody Linker 2 ; Ryan Ouzts 1 ; Aaron Hobson 1
SB: Mikah Conner 2 ; Trey Fenderson 3 ; Rhogue Wallace 1 ; Jake Randolph 1 ; Aaron Hobson 1
CS: Ryan Ouzts 1
HBP: Trey Fenderson 1 ; Brody Linker 1
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
1
H
3
RBI
2
AB
5
R
0
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
3
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