Eastern Michigan Athletics
Tuesday, April 22
Ypsilanti, Mich.
3 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
17-18
14
vs
4
Youngstown State
10-29
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5
6
7
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H
E
Youngstown State
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0
0
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6
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Eastern Michigan
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X
14
10
1
Photo by: Alex Paslawski
Eagles Fly Past Penguins In 14-4 Run-Ruling Win
4/22/2025 8:11:00 PM | Baseball
Harrison Travis led the way with five RBI and one grand slam
Photo Gallery
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team got off to a hot start and did not look back, as it cruised to a 14-4 non-conference run-ruling victory over Youngstown State University on the heels of a grand slam and five RBI day from Harrison Travis Tuesday, April 22, at Oestrike Stadium.
Travis (Soddy Daisy, Tenn./Soddy Daisy/Carson-Newman) blew the game wide open with a second-inning grand slam for his seventh home run of the season.
Freshman right-hander Fischer Hendershot (Flushing, Mich./Flint Powers) got the start on the mound for the Eagles and pitched two scoreless innings with four strikeouts while walking just one. Junior right-hander Nick Keane (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin/Frederick C.C.) (1-0) earned the first win of his NCAA Division I career as he entered the game in the fifth inning and tossed a scoreless frame with two strikeouts. YSU's Phil Brennaman (1-3) was tagged with the loss.
After the win, EMU's record improved to 17-18 (9-9 Mid-American Conference) and Youngstown State's shifted to 10-29 (7-11 Horizon League).
How it Happened
The game started with Eastern Michigan getting on the board first off an RBI single by Travis, scoring Giano Zuccaro (Middleburg Heights, Ohio/Berea Midpark/Charleston). The Eagles furthered their lead in the second inning by scoring five runs, including Logan Hugo (Essexville, Mich./Essexville Garber) walking with the bases loaded and Travis hitting a grand slam, the Eagles' sixth of the season, to take a 6-0 lead.
Hendershot went two innings and had four strikeouts, allowing one hit and one walk. He was relieved by Eric Boothe (Rochester, Mich./Stoney Creek/Akron/Lansing C.C.) in the bottom of the third inning. EMU added three more runs on a three-run blast from Cooper Vance (New Waterford, Ohio/Mohawk) to give Eastern Michigan a commanding 9-0 cushion after three innings.
The Eagles added five more runs in the fourth inning, highlighted by Devan Zirwas (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny/VCU) who hit a two-run shot to right. Eastern Michigan ended the fourth inning by tagging on three more runs, highlighted by a John Hale (Ashland City, Tenn./Sycamore/Motlow C.C.) RBI double to increase the lead to 14-0 lead after four innings.
Keane entered the game to start the fifth inning, relieving junior right-hander Niko Kreuzer (Westerville, Ohio/ St. Francis Desales), who spun a scoreless fourth frame and allowed just one hit. Keane retired the side in order in the fifth, getting two outs via the strikeout.
Youngstown State scored four runs in the sixth inning to make the score 14-4, which remained the score for the remainder of the game as it ended in seven innings due to the 10-run rule.
Game Notes
» Eastern Michigan won its eighth non-conference game of the season. It had five non-conference wins in the 2024 season.
» Eastern Michigan's 14 runs marks the sixth time it has scored 14 or more runs in a game. It is undefeated in such contests.
» The three home runs by Eastern is the fourth time this season, in which it has hit three home runs in a game and it ties its second-most as a team. The Eagles hit four at Western Michigan, March 15. Eastern posts a 3-2 record when hitting three or more home runs.
» Travis' grand slam was his seventh home run of the season as he finished the game going 3-for-5 with five RBI. The five RBI are the most the catcher has had in his NCAA Division I career. Furthermore, he reached base for the 16th consecutive game, currently serving as the longest streak on the team.
» Hendershot's four strikeouts are the second-most he's had this year, one off his season-high of five at Akron, March 8.
» Hale knocked at least one hit for the fifth consecutive game, currently serving as the team's longest hitting streak.
» Vance's home run was his fourth of the season and his first three-run shot of the year. The middle infielder had his second game with at least three RBI, also doing so at Western Michigan, March 14, when he drove in four, a career-high.
» Zirwas' home run was his seventh of the year, and his second in the last four games.
» Hugo had two RBI, went 1-for-3, and had two walks to reach base safely three times. It's the sixth game he's walked multiple times this year.
» Eastern Michigan had four players record at least two RBI in Hugo, Travis, Zirwas and Vance. Zirwas leads the quartet and the team with 13 multi-RBI showings this season.
» Boothe pitched a scoreless inning in the top half of the third. He retired all three batters he faced.
» Kreuzer pitched one scoreless frame in the fourth, the fifth time he has thrown a scoreless outing this year.
» Keane was the winning pitcher, marking the first win of his NCAA Division I career. His two strikeouts are the fifth game he has had multiple K's in an outing.
» Eastern Michigan had 10 hits as a program. It is the 19th time this year EMU has had a 10-hit effort. The Eagles are 14-5 when reaching that mark. The Eagles also out-hit their opponent for the 22nd time this season, producing a 15-7 record when doing so.
» The 14-4 mercy rule in seven innings is the second time the Eagles have done this in 2025, also doing so at Western Michigan, March 15.
Historical Notes
» Tuesday's matchup was the fifth meeting all-time between Eastern and Youngstown State. YSU leads the all-time series, 3-2.
» Eastern earned their first home win against Youngstown State, losing the only other meeting at Oestrike Stadium, March 27, 2018.
» The Eagles' 14 runs against the Penguins marked the most from either team in the all-time series.
» The game marked the Eagles' 98th all-time against a Horizon League opponent. After the win, EMU holds a 58-40 all-time record against the fellow mid-major conference.
Up Next
Eastern Michigan hits the road for a three-game weekend series against the Bowling Green State University Falcons, April 25-27.
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.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team got off to a hot start and did not look back, as it cruised to a 14-4 non-conference run-ruling victory over Youngstown State University on the heels of a grand slam and five RBI day from Harrison Travis Tuesday, April 22, at Oestrike Stadium.
Travis (Soddy Daisy, Tenn./Soddy Daisy/Carson-Newman) blew the game wide open with a second-inning grand slam for his seventh home run of the season.
Freshman right-hander Fischer Hendershot (Flushing, Mich./Flint Powers) got the start on the mound for the Eagles and pitched two scoreless innings with four strikeouts while walking just one. Junior right-hander Nick Keane (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin/Frederick C.C.) (1-0) earned the first win of his NCAA Division I career as he entered the game in the fifth inning and tossed a scoreless frame with two strikeouts. YSU's Phil Brennaman (1-3) was tagged with the loss.
After the win, EMU's record improved to 17-18 (9-9 Mid-American Conference) and Youngstown State's shifted to 10-29 (7-11 Horizon League).
How it Happened
The game started with Eastern Michigan getting on the board first off an RBI single by Travis, scoring Giano Zuccaro (Middleburg Heights, Ohio/Berea Midpark/Charleston). The Eagles furthered their lead in the second inning by scoring five runs, including Logan Hugo (Essexville, Mich./Essexville Garber) walking with the bases loaded and Travis hitting a grand slam, the Eagles' sixth of the season, to take a 6-0 lead.
Hendershot went two innings and had four strikeouts, allowing one hit and one walk. He was relieved by Eric Boothe (Rochester, Mich./Stoney Creek/Akron/Lansing C.C.) in the bottom of the third inning. EMU added three more runs on a three-run blast from Cooper Vance (New Waterford, Ohio/Mohawk) to give Eastern Michigan a commanding 9-0 cushion after three innings.
The Eagles added five more runs in the fourth inning, highlighted by Devan Zirwas (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny/VCU) who hit a two-run shot to right. Eastern Michigan ended the fourth inning by tagging on three more runs, highlighted by a John Hale (Ashland City, Tenn./Sycamore/Motlow C.C.) RBI double to increase the lead to 14-0 lead after four innings.
Keane entered the game to start the fifth inning, relieving junior right-hander Niko Kreuzer (Westerville, Ohio/ St. Francis Desales), who spun a scoreless fourth frame and allowed just one hit. Keane retired the side in order in the fifth, getting two outs via the strikeout.
Youngstown State scored four runs in the sixth inning to make the score 14-4, which remained the score for the remainder of the game as it ended in seven innings due to the 10-run rule.
Game Notes
» Eastern Michigan won its eighth non-conference game of the season. It had five non-conference wins in the 2024 season.
» Eastern Michigan's 14 runs marks the sixth time it has scored 14 or more runs in a game. It is undefeated in such contests.
» The three home runs by Eastern is the fourth time this season, in which it has hit three home runs in a game and it ties its second-most as a team. The Eagles hit four at Western Michigan, March 15. Eastern posts a 3-2 record when hitting three or more home runs.
» Travis' grand slam was his seventh home run of the season as he finished the game going 3-for-5 with five RBI. The five RBI are the most the catcher has had in his NCAA Division I career. Furthermore, he reached base for the 16th consecutive game, currently serving as the longest streak on the team.
» Hendershot's four strikeouts are the second-most he's had this year, one off his season-high of five at Akron, March 8.
» Hale knocked at least one hit for the fifth consecutive game, currently serving as the team's longest hitting streak.
» Vance's home run was his fourth of the season and his first three-run shot of the year. The middle infielder had his second game with at least three RBI, also doing so at Western Michigan, March 14, when he drove in four, a career-high.
» Zirwas' home run was his seventh of the year, and his second in the last four games.
» Hugo had two RBI, went 1-for-3, and had two walks to reach base safely three times. It's the sixth game he's walked multiple times this year.
» Eastern Michigan had four players record at least two RBI in Hugo, Travis, Zirwas and Vance. Zirwas leads the quartet and the team with 13 multi-RBI showings this season.
» Boothe pitched a scoreless inning in the top half of the third. He retired all three batters he faced.
» Kreuzer pitched one scoreless frame in the fourth, the fifth time he has thrown a scoreless outing this year.
» Keane was the winning pitcher, marking the first win of his NCAA Division I career. His two strikeouts are the fifth game he has had multiple K's in an outing.
» Eastern Michigan had 10 hits as a program. It is the 19th time this year EMU has had a 10-hit effort. The Eagles are 14-5 when reaching that mark. The Eagles also out-hit their opponent for the 22nd time this season, producing a 15-7 record when doing so.
» The 14-4 mercy rule in seven innings is the second time the Eagles have done this in 2025, also doing so at Western Michigan, March 15.
Historical Notes
» Tuesday's matchup was the fifth meeting all-time between Eastern and Youngstown State. YSU leads the all-time series, 3-2.
» Eastern earned their first home win against Youngstown State, losing the only other meeting at Oestrike Stadium, March 27, 2018.
» The Eagles' 14 runs against the Penguins marked the most from either team in the all-time series.
» The game marked the Eagles' 98th all-time against a Horizon League opponent. After the win, EMU holds a 58-40 all-time record against the fellow mid-major conference.
Up Next
Eastern Michigan hits the road for a three-game weekend series against the Bowling Green State University Falcons, April 25-27.
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: Keane, Nick (2-1)
L: BRENNAMAN, Phil (1-3)
Batting:
2B: BROWN, Eli 1
RBI: GOODWIN, Nic 1 ; BROWN, Eli 2
Base Running:
RUNS: SMITH, Cole 1 ; RUFFNER, Teddy 1 ; Stange-Tregear, Jed 1 ; CUTTING, Garrett 1
HBP: ROVER, Tommy 1
Batting:
2B: Hale, John 1
HR: Travis, Harrison 1 ; Zirwas, Devan 1 ; Vance, Cooper 1
RBI: Zuccaro, Giano 1 ; Hugo, Logan 2 ; Travis, Harrison 5 ; Zirwas, Devan 2 ; Hale, John 1 ; Vance, Cooper 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Zuccaro, Giano 2 ; Hugo, Logan 1 ; Travis, Harrison 2 ; Zirwas, Devan 1 ; Jellison, Bruce 2 ; Walsh, Connor 1 ; Hale, John 3 ; Vance, Cooper 2
SB: Zuccaro, Giano 1 ; Jones, Drew 1
HBP: Zuccaro, Giano 1 ; Jellison, Bruce 2 ; Walsh, Connor 1 ; Vance, Cooper 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
5
R
2
H
3
RBI
5
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
AB
2
R
2
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
LHP
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RHP
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/ Baseball
OF/RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
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/ Baseball
INF
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