Central Michigan University Athletics
Central Michigan University
Ohio
Chippewas Take Two From Ohio
3/30/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 30, 2002
MOUNT PLEASANT - It took nearly one full day, but Central Michigan University's baseball team won its first game in Theunissen Stadium here Saturday, 9-6, over Ohio University.
The Mid-American Conference game was halted because of rain on Friday. The Chippewas then won the first game of Saturday's scheduled twinbill, 7-1. The third game of the series was halted after five innings on Saturday because of darkness with Central on top, 5-2.
That game will be completed on Sunday at noon followed by the last game of the set.
In the first game of the series, postponed in the fourth inning one day by rain, the Chippewas captured a 9-6 come-from-behind win.
Ohio broke open a 0-0 game with five runs in the top of the fourth, two on the first homer in Theunissen Stadium by Mike Arbinger and two more on a double to center by Jason Shockey.
The Chippewas battled back in the bottom of the fourth to score seven runs over two days. CMU scored twice on Friday, one on a bases-loaded groundout by Scott Pickens and the second on a single up the middle by Ryan Krueger. It was right after Krueger's hit that the game was halted by rain at 3:10 p.m
Central wasted little time on Saturday in getting back into it. With two one and two out, freshman David Latour greeted new Bobcat hurler Marc Cornell with a three-run home to left to tie it at 5-5. Steve Sanfilippo then doubled and the Chippewas made it 7-5 with a two-run homer by Tim Bullinger.
CMU added two more in the bottom of the sixth, the first on an RBI single by Bullinger who later scored on a passed ball.
Bullinger had a couple of hits and three RBI while Kruger had three hits and Tommy Grubb and Sanfilippo two each.
The winner in relief was Gavin Gillette while T.J. Johnson picked up his first save of the season.
Ohio scored first in game two, posting an unearned run in the first frame. The Chippewas tied it with an unearned run of their own in the third, Mike Gates' single bringing in Bullinger who had reached on an error. Keith Sampsell singled in the fourth, went to second on a wild pitch, to third on a groundout and put CMU ahead, 2-1, when he scored on a sacrifice fly to right by Tim Groves.
Central tacked on three more runs in the fifth for a 5-1 edge. Gates, Sampsell and Groves had two-out RBI singles for the Chippewas. CMU completed its scoring with two more in the sixth, Sanfilippo scoring on a single by Osborn and Osborn scoring on a balk.
Bullinger and Sampsell had three hits apiece while Gates added two.
Chad Pleiness tossed CMU's first complete game of the season, allowing one unearned run. He scattered three hits, striking out 10 and walking four. He's now 2-0.
Central scored two in the bottom of the first on a long home run over the scoreboard in right center by Gates. It was his third of the season. However, the Bobcats came back with two unearned runs in the top of the second to tie it at 2-2.
CMU took a 5-2 lead in the bottom of the third on an RBI single by Gates, a sacrifice fly by Groves and a single by Krueger.
