Central Michigan University
Eastern Michigan
CMU Rallies For 14th Straight MAC Win
5/21/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 21, 2005
MOUNT PLEASANT -- It took a one-out rally in the ninth inning, but Central Michigan University's Mid-American Conference baseball winning streak is still in tact at 14 games.
The Chippewas scored twice in their final at bat here Saturday afternoon to capture a 6-5 victory over Eastern Michigan University.
CMU is now 38-16 for the season and 17-6 in MAC action while the Eagles fall to 22-33 overall and 8-13 in the league.
EMU scored a run in the top of the ninth to take a 5-4 lead. However, with one out in the CMU half of the inning, J. T. Jones reached on an infield error and Jim Geldhof tripled past a diving centerfielder to knot the game at 5-5. The Eagles then walked the next two batters to load the bases. David Latour Jr. responded to the challenge, driving a crisp single past a drawn-in infield to plate Geldhof with the winning run.
Geldhof had four hits for the Chippewas to raise his average to .333.
The Eagles scored twice in the first inning for a 2-0 lead off Josh Collmenter but CMU came right back with three in the bottom of the first off George Biddle. A two-run double by Latour was the big blow of the inning.
It remained 3-2 until EMU scored a run in the sixth to chase Collmenter.
CMU regained the lead, 4-3, in the sixth when Latour reached on an error, took second on an infield bouncer, stole third and scored on an error on the play.
Chippewa reliever Jayson Ruhlman walked the leadoff batter in the sixth and eighth innings, and both of them scored to make it 5-4 to set up CMU's late heroics.
Ruhlman picked up the win to raise his record to 5-3. He went three and one-third innings and allowed five hits. He was touched for two earned runs and walked two with one strikeout.
Collmenter struggled for one of the few times this season. He went five and one-third innings, allowing five hits and three runs, two earned. Josh walked four and fanned six.
The loser in relief was Jeff Fischer (1-7).
Latour and Derek Schaller had two hits apiece for the Chippewas.
The final regular-season game is slated for here Sunday at 1 p.m. It will be Senior Day with the nine senior members of the CMU team being honored prior to the game.
