Central Michigan University Athletics
Central Michigan University
Minnesota
CMU, Minnesota Split Baseball Twinbill
3/23/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 23, 2002
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - Central Michigan and Minnesota split a non-league doubleheader here Saturday afternoon in the Metrodom, the Chippewas winning the first game, 7-5, and the Gophers the nightcap, 6-0, on a one-hitter by Jay Gagner.
Central Michigan is now 10-5 for the season and Minnesota is 7-11. The final game of the four-game series is set for Sunday at noon.
The Chippewas scored three times in the top of the seventh to break a 4-4 tie and claim a 7-5 win in the opener. Lee Naplin picked up the win in relief, his third against no losses while Travis Osborn captured his fourth save by allowing one unearned run in the seventh.
With one out in the seventh, Tommy Grubb singled and scored on the first career hit off the bat of Jim Geldhof, a double to the fence in right. Pinch-runner Tom Grzywacz scored on Keith Sampsell's third hit of the game and Mike Gates came in on a single by David Latour.
CMU scored an unearned run in the second and two in the fourth, one on Krueger's RBI single. The other was unearned.
Chad Pleiness started and went five innings, allowing seven hits and four earned runs. The 6-6 righty walked one and fanned six. T.J. Johnson and Naplin held the Gophers scoreless in the sixth, Naplin striking out the lone batter he faced with the bases loaded.
In addition to Sampsell's three safeties, Gates and Kreuger had two each as the Chippewas outhit Minnesota, 11-9.
In game two, Minnesota vaulted out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first. The Gophers got only two hits but took advantage of two walks, a balk, an error and a wild pitch to move in front off Chippewa starter Jeff Garner.
Minnesota upped its lead to 4-0 in the third on a pair on hit-batsman and a single.
Garner didn't make it out of the fourth, giving up two more runs before Ryan Cremeans came in to get the final two outs. Garner allowed five hits, six runs (five earned) and walked three and struck out five in three and one-third innings.
CMU was no-hit by Gagner until a crisp single up the middle in the seventh by Keith Sampsell. Gagner, helped by a number of outstanding defensive plays, walked two and struck out seven in posting the second shutout against Central this season.
The Chippewas are set to open the home portion of the 2002 season on Friday, March 29, with a Mid-American Conference clash with Ohio University.
