Central Michigan University Athletics
Central Michigan University
Oakland
Chippewas Sweep Oakland, 6-1 and 20-9
5/15/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 15, 2002
MOUNT PLEASANT - Central Michigan University swept a non-league doubleheader from Oakland University here Wednesday afternoon by the scores of 6-1 and 20-9.
The wins ran CMU's winning streak to four and improved its record to 26-22. The Grizzlies are now 17-30.
In the first game, Oakland scored an unearned run in the first inning. However, the Chippewas came back with two unearned markers in the bottom of the first to grab a 2-1 lead. Tim Bullinger was safe on an error and eventually scored on a wild pitch. Mike Gates then slammed his eighth homer of the season to right center putting CMU ahead, 2-1.
Central made it 3-1 after two when Ryan Krueger walked and scored on a wild pitch.
The Chippewas scored two more runs in the fourth to go up, 5-1. Jason Cairns and David Latour opened the inning with singles. Cairns scored on a wild pitch while Tommy Grubb doubled in Latour with a shot over the left fielder's head.
Three CMU hurlers combined to hold the Grizzlies to two hits and an unearned run. The win went to the starter Nick Zastrow who tossed two innings while Ryan Cremeans threw three shutout innings and Travis Osborn the final two.
Oakland drew first blood in the second game, plating four runs in the top of the second. CMU starter Jeff Opalewski walked four batters to score one and Chris Kimball then doubled in three more. Nick DiPonio made it 5-0 in the third with his eighth homer of the year.
The Chippewas battled back with two in the third and three in the fifth to knot the game at 5-5. Jim Geldhof singled and scored on a bases-loaded walk to Scott Pickens and Dan Griesbaum walked with the bases loaded for another run in the third. In the fifth, Travis Osborn led off with his second homer of the year and Jason Cairns drove in one with a grounder and the third came in on an error trying to throw out Cairns.
Oakland scored four runs in the top of the sixth to grab a 9-5 lead, two on a homer by Peter Varon (12th).
Central broke it open with a bizarre sixth inning, scoring nine runs on just five hits. However, OU pitchers walked six. Danny Gibbons scored twice in the inning - CMU's biggest of the season.
Latour added three more runs in the seventh on his fifth homer of the season to give the Chippewas a 17-9 lead seven innings.
CMU closed the scoring with three more in the eighth for a 20-9 margin. Grubb drove in a pair with a double and Gates knocked him in with a single.
Pickens, Geldhof and Latour all had three hits for Central with Latour knocking in four runs and Grubb three.
Central used five hurlers, the win going to David Lemieux who was the beneficiary of the nine-run inning. Joey Fahndrich hurled 2.2 innings of scoreless ball while Nick Patterson and T.J. Johnson each had a scoreless inning.
CMU will close the regular season this weekend at Toledo. The first of four games is set for Friday at 3 p.m.
