Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
5-6, 1-0
Akron
5-8, 0-1
Baseball Tops Akron in MAC Opener
3/7/2025 4:36:00 PM | Baseball
Logan Hugo paced the offense while Drew Norris earned his first NCAA Division I win out of the bullpen
AKRON, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team topped the University of Akron, 6-5, in its Mid-American Conference (MAC) opener Friday, March 7, at Skeeles Field.
Offensively, Eastern was led by senior outfielder Logan Hugo (Essexville, Mich./Essexville Garber), who knocked three hits and drove in two runs with one homer in a 3-for-5 day from the plate.
Drew Norris (Leawood, Kan./Blue Valley/Utah/Johnson C.C.) earned his first NCAA Division I win out of the bullpen, tossing 2.2 innings, tying an EMU career high with three strikeouts and one walk while allowing two earned runs.
The Eagles record improved to 5-6 (1-0 MAC) on the season while Akron's shifted to 5-8 (0-1 MAC).
How it Happened
After a scoreless first two innings, Devan Zirwas (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny/VCU) took the lid off the game with an RBI single up the middle to score John Hale (Ashland City, Tenn./Sycamore/Motlow State C.C.) from second to give the Eagles the 1-0 lead in the third.
Hugo furthered the EMU advantage in the fourth, singling to left center, and driving in Giano Zuccaro (Middleburg Heights, Ohio/Berea Midpark/Charleston) to increase the Eastern lead to two.
The Zips punched back in the bottom half of the inning, scoring three runs off two singles and one double in the frame, taking a 3-2 lead after four.
Sophomore right hander Niko Kreuzer (Westerville, Ohio/St. Francis Desales) came in to relieve the starter, Drew Beckner (Westerville, Ohio/Big Walnut/Charleston), to start the fifth. Beckner exited the game with four strikeouts and four walks, allowing three runs, all earned, off six hits.
Hugo collected his third hit and second RBI of the day with a solo shot to left field in the sixth, his third long ball of the season, tying the game at three runs apiece. Eastern would cap their scoring for the game in the eighth, scoring three runs total via RBI from Connor Walsh (Mattawan, Mich./Mattawan) and Brendan Kleiman (Olney, Md./Sherwood/Frederick C.C.), granting the Green and White the 6-3 advantage.
After tossing two scoreless frames and allowing just one hit with one strikeout and one walk, Kreuzer was relieved, bringing Norris to the mound.
Norris retired the side in order in the seventh and eighth innings before the Zips sent a two-run homer over the right field fence in the ninth, trimming the lead to one, and forcing EMU to call to the bullpen, bringing out junior right hander Ethan Davis (Brownstown, Ind./Brownstown Central/Marian/Frontier C.C.) in the save situation. Davis faced one batter, forcing a groundout to shortstop Cooper Vance (New Waterford, Ohio/Mohawk) for the win and the first save of his NCAA Division I career.
The game concluded in a 6-5 win for the Eagles.
Game Notes
» The Eagles out-hit their opponent for the ninth time this season, producing a 5-4 record when doing so. They also posted 10 hits, marking their eighth game with double-digit knocks this season. Eastern currently paces the MAC in hits with 117.
» Hugo recorded his team-high fifth multi-hit game of the season and his third game with three hits. He also drove in two runs, marking his fourth multi-RBI outing of the season, a figure that also leads the team. Hugo is nine RBI away from reaching the century mark in his collegiate career as he currently totals 91.
» Zirwas continued his team-long 10 game streak of reaching base and eight-game hitting streak. He added one RBI, his 10th of the year, a number that stands as the second most on the team.
» Vance reached base every time at the plate, posting a 3-for-3 day with one walk. He is tied with Hugo and Bruce Jellison (Hartland, Mich./Hartland/Wabash Valley) for the most multi-hit games this season with five.
» Walsh and Kleiman each drove in one run. Walsh is up to nine RBI on the season while Kleiman has seven.
» Davis continued his strong start to the season out of the bullpen with his first NCAA Division I save. He is the only EMU hurler to tally both one save and one win on the season as he was credited with the win in Eastern's 14-6 victory over Central Arkansas, Feb. 23.
» The Eagles played superb defense, committing zero errors for the sixth time this season. They have significantly improved their defense from one season ago as they have bolstered their fielding percentage by .026 percent. EMU posted a MAC-worst .958 fielding clip last season while they currently hold a .984 this season, the second-best mark in the conference.
» Jellison worked two walks, bringing his total to seven on the season, a value that leads the team. He is ranked 81st in the nation and fourth in the MAC in toughest to strikeout, going down on strikes one time every 13 at-bats.
» The EMU defense set a season high with 13 assists, led by Vance with five, the most from an individual Eagle this season.
» Eastern Michigan's highest scoring inning was the eighth, when it pushed three runs across.
» Eastern Michigan pitchers faced 42 Akron hitters in the game, allowing 11 ground balls and seven fly balls while striking out eight.
» The Eagles drew five walks from Akron pitching.
Historical Notes
» Friday's game marked the 68th all-time between Eastern and Akron. Eastern leads the series with a 39-29 overall record and also post a winning record (15-9) when facing the Zips on the road.
» The win marked Head Coach Robbie Britt's sixth consecutive conference-opening victory. Britt has never lost a conference opener as a collegiate head coach.
Up Next
The Eagles and Zips will run it back for game two of the series tomorrow at 1 p.m. Live stats and streaming links can be accessed on the EMU baseball schedule page here.
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: Norris, Drew (1-1)
L: J. Ross (0-1)
S: Davis, Ethan (1)
Batting:
2B: Zuccaro, Giano 1
HR: Hugo, Logan 1
RBI: Kleiman, Brendan 1 ; Zirwas, Devan 1 ; Hugo, Logan 2 ; Walsh, Connor 1
SH: Hale, John 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hale, John 1 ; Jellison, Bruce 1 ; Zuccaro, Giano 2 ; Hugo, Logan 1 ; Johnson, Lucas 1
HBP: Kleiman, Brendan 2
Batting:
2B: J. Poist 1 ; K. McConachi 1
HR: B. Bowen 1
RBI: E. Bottone 1 ; J. Poist 1 ; M. Bowman 1 ; B. Bowen 2
Base Running:
RUNS: E. Bottone 1 ; J. Poist 2 ; B. Bowen 1 ; K. McConachi 1
SB: J. Poist 1 ; M. Bowman 1
CS: J. Poist 1 ; A. Horvath 1
HBP: E. Bottone 1
