Central Michigan University Athletics
Central Michigan University
Valparaiso
CMU Wins Second Straight, 12-8 Over Valparaiso
3/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 7, 2006
BRADENTON, Fla. - Junior Bryan Mitzel hit a pair of solo homers and was one of three players to collect three hits as Central Michigan University claimed a 12-8 win over Valparaiso on Tuesday.
Mitzel finished 3-for-5 with two homers and an RBI double. Ben Humphrey was 3-for-5 with a homer, two runs and two RBI, while Jeff Helps was 3-for-3 with a walk, double, stolen base and two runs.
Mitzel, who has homered three times in the past two games, now has 28 career round-trippers. He is tied for sixth on CMU's career home run list.
The Chippewas (4-6) scored in each of the first eight innings, then held on as Valparaiso (1-3) plated five runs in the bottom of the ninth.
CMU scored twice with two outs in the top of the first. Troy Moratti walked and later scored on a wild pitch and Mitzel doubled home Humphrey.
The Crusaders answered with a pair of runs in their first at-bat. Kevin Perri scored on a passed ball and Ryan Manthei singled home Brian Rzepka.
Helps scored on a wild pitch in the second, Mitzel homered to lead off the third and Moratti and Humphrey knocked a run-scoring double and single, respectively, to extend the Chippewa lead to 6-2 in the fourth. Tyler Stovall scored on a J.T. Jones triple in the fifth to make it 7-2, and Humphrey's homer to lead off the sixth made it 8-2.
Kevin Kutansky, who would finish 2-for-5, hit a solo homer for Valparaiso in the sixth, but CMU came back to score once in the seventh and three times in the eighth. Cody Allen singled home Stovall in the seventh, then drove a two-run double in the eighth. Mitzel added his second solo homer in the eighth.
Valparaiso loaded the bases with one out in the ninth and proceeded score five runs before CMU could get out of the inning. Rzepka tallied a two-run single and stole second, forcing an error that allowed Kevin Perri to score from third. Michael Arensdorff drove in a run on a groundout and Colin Reynolds knocked a pinch-hit, RBI double before Josh Piazza popped out to end the rally.
Freshman Ben Rodewald threw six innings to earn his first collegiate win for CMU. He allowed three runs on five hits and struck out four. Matt Gillikin took the loss, surrendering four runs on five hits in three innings.
CMU has now won two straight after dropping six in a row.
The Chippewas are off on Wednesday, then return to the field on Thursday to face Lehigh in Clearwater at Jack Russell Stadium. First pitch is set for 11 a.m. against the Mountain Hawks.
