Central Michigan University Athletics
Central Michigan University
Rollins College
Chippewa Baseball Splits With Rollins
3/2/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 2, 2002
WINTER PARK, Fla. - Central Michigan University's baseball team split a doubleheader with Rollins College here Saturday afternoon, winning the opener by a 9-8 margin and falling in the nightcap, 2-0.
The Chippewas are now 2-1 for the season while Rollins is 15-3. The two teams are slated to meet on Sunday at 1 p.m.
CMU rallied for the win in the first game, trailing by a 6-1 margin entering the top of the sixth. Keith Sampsell's double plated two in the sixth but the Tars came back with two of their own in the sixth to keep an 8-3 lead.
Freshman Travis Osborn hit a solo homer for Central in the seventh to cut the deficit to 8-4 and then Tommy Grubb's sacrifice fly in the eighth made it 8-5.
Central scored four times in the ninth for the win, the first two on a double off the right field fence by Steve Sanfilippo. The freshman shortstop scored the tying run from third on an error on a grounder by Ryan Krueger who took second on the play and proceeded around the bases with the winning run when the catcher threw the ball into right field.
Converted infielder David LeMieux picked up the win in relief, going the final two innings of hitless pitching.
The nightcap was a pitcher's battle with Rollins' Rob Sitz tossing a four-hit shutout . Aided by an exceptionally large strike zone, Sitz raised his record to 4-0 with 11 strikeouts.
CMU's Jeff Opalewski went five innings and allowed just three hits and one earned in taking the loss. T.J. Johnson set down all three batters he faced in the sixth for Central.
Rollins scored an unearned run in the second and capped the scoring with a solo homer from Steven Castillo in the fifth. CMU had three singles and a double by David Latour and only had one runner reach third.
