Central Michigan University Athletics
Chippewas Sweep Toledo, 20-14 and 6-3
4/19/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 19, 2003
TOLEDO, Ohio - Central Michigan University swept a Mid-American Conference doubleheader here Saturday afternoon behind some booming bats in game one and some outstanding pitching by Joey Fahndrich in game two.
The Chippewas claimed the first contest, 20-14, by scoring 10 times in the top of the seventh while Fahndrich scattered 12 hits and went the route in a 6-3 decision in the nightcap.
CMU is now 14-17 for the season and 4-5 in MAC action while UT is 12-18 and 2-9.
The two teams will meet in the final game of the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. The game had been scheduled for 2 p.m., but was moved up.
For the second straight game with the Rockets, CMU jumped out quickly in the first inning of game one, this time scoring five times. Ryan Krueger opened with a bunt single, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored on Jim Geldhof's single to center. Tommy Grubb then doubled in Geldhof and Mike Gates was hit by a pitch. Brian Lautzenheiser then singled in Grubb and Gates scored on a single by Brian Campbell that chased UT starter Ben Lovell. Chase Welker drove in Campbell with the fifth run of the inning on a crisp single to center.
Toledo came back with two runs in the bottom of the first to cut the deficit to 5-2. The Chippewas scored one in the second to make it 6-2 when Grubb walked and scored on Gates' double down the line in right.
However, CMU starter T.J. Johnson had control woes in the second and walked two batters - both who ended up scoring to make it 6-4 after two.
The Chippewas scored another run in the third to make it 7-4 when Jeff LaFavors Jr., singled, was sacrificed to second and scored on a single to left by Krueger.
Toledo exploded for five runs in the third to send Johnson to the bench. Big hits were a two-run homer by Shawn Hurst followed by a solo blast from Chris Arvay. Reliever Mark Lundquist came in and gave up runs eight and nine on three straight hits.
CMU tied it at 9-9 in the fifth, scoring twice with two outs. Jim Geldhof singled and scored on Grubb's double off the fence in center. Grubb then scored on Gates' single to right.
UT scored on unearned run in the fifth off Chippewa relief ace without the benefit of a hit. Two CMU errors helped give the Rockets the 10-9 lead. It was shortlived, though, when Campbell singled, moved to second when LaFavors walked, to third on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on Krueger's sacrifice fly to tie it at 10-10.
Toledo scored four times in the bottom of the sixth and took a seemingly comfortable 14-10 margin into the seventh.But, who'd have thought the Chippewas would score 10 times, nine with two out, for the six-run win? For the second time in the game, CMU batted around the lineup. Grubb led off with an opposite-field homer (No. 3) but the next two Chippewas went down in order. Dan Griesbaum's pinch-hit started the floodgates. Big hits in the frame were a two-run single by Grubb and a pinch-hit grand slam by Derek Schaller, the first homer of his career. Although not effective for one of the few times this season, junior David LeMieux picked up the win to go to 3-0. He went three innings and allowed five hits and five runs, four earned.
Grubb had a banner game for the Chippewas. He tied a school record with five runs scored while banging out four hits and driving in five. Campbell had three hits.
In game two, runs didn't come quite so easily for either team.
Fahndrich, the senior left hander, scattered 12 hits and allowed three earned runs in improving his record to 1-4. He walked two and fanned two.
CMU scored single runs in the second (an RBI single by Jason Gotwalt) and in the third (a double by Gates). The Rockets matched those runs with solo runs of their own in the second and third, and it stayed 2-2 through four.
The Chippewas broke the tie with two in the fifth. Geldhof opened with a single and took second on a bounce out by Grubb. After Gates was intentionally walked, David Latour Jr., doubled down the line in left to score both runners and put the visitors up by a 4-2 margin.
CMU extended the lead to 6-2 with a pair of runs in the eighth. Campbell doubled to lead off the inning and scored on Gotwalt's third single of the game. Griesbaum had a pinch single to move Campbell to third where he scored on a grounder by Welker.
The Rockets did score a run in the ninth but the Chippewas ended it with a doubleplay.
In addition to Gotwalt's three hits, Geldhof had two safeties for CMU.
