Central Michigan University Athletics
Central Michigan University
Northern Illinois
Pleiness Hurls a Gem For Chippewas
4/27/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 27, 2002
MOUNT PLEASANT - A brilliant pitching performance by Central Michigan right-hander Chad Pleiness gave the Chippewas a 2-0 win in game one of its Mid-American Conference twinbill here Saturday with Northern Illinois.
The second game was suspended because of rain in the bottom of the seventh inning with CMU fighting back from an 8-0 deficit and holding a 9-8 lead. Play will be resumed at noon on Sunday followed by the fourth game of the series.
The victory upped Central's record to 20-16 for the season and 9-5 in MAC action while the Huskies fell to 17-23 and 6-8.
The 6-6 Pleiness tossed a one-hitter, allowing just an infield single in the third inning, to raise his record 4-2 with an ERA of 1.47. He struck out a career-high 15 batters and walked four.
The Chippewas broke a 0-0 tie in the bottom of the fifth inning with an unearned run. Junior Tim Groves tripled to right center and scored when the NIU second baseman dropped a pop fly.
Central added another unearned in the sixth. Mike Gates was hit by a pitch with one out, advanced to second on a passed ball, took third on a wild pitch and scored on Jim Geldhof's drag bunt single.
Northern Illinois loaded the bases in the top of the seventh on two walks and an error but Pleiness got the final out on a grounder to David Latour at second.
The one-hit shutout by Pleiness was the 37th in Chippewa annals, and the first since four hurlers combined on a one-hitter in 2000 to hand Oakland a 12-0 setback. His 15 strikeouts tied a seven-inning record set by Ralph Darin against Akron in 1971.
NIU lefty Zach Minor was the tough-luck loser. He gave up just four hits and both runs were unearned. He's now 2-3.
The Northern Illinois bats awakened in the second inning of game two. The Huskies exploded for eight runs on eight hits off starter Jeff Garner and reliever T.J. Johnson to move out to an 8-0 advantage. Garner went and one and one-third inning, allowing seven hits and six runs.
The Chippewas got two back in the bottom of the third on a double by Groves and an RBI double by Tim Bullinger who later scored on a sacrifice fly by Gates.
Central scored five more in the fifth to cut the deficit to 8-7. Gates singled in one run, Keith Sampsell walked in one, Scott Pickens singled in one and Groves drove in two with a single.
The Chippewas took the lead, 9-8, with two in the bottom of the sixth. Bullinger opened with a single and took third when the right fielder threw it in the dugout trying to pick him off at first. Bullinger scored on a grounder by Danny Gibbons. Gates then doubled and scored the go-ahead run on a double by Scott Pickens.
