Central Michigan University Athletics
Central Michigan University
Michigan State
Baseball Completes Season Sweep of Michigan State, 6-4
5/16/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 16, 2006
MOUNT PLEASANT - Freshman left-hander Dan Taylor held Michigan State to one run on three hits over six innings and junior Ben Humphrey drove in four runs as Central Michigan University claimed a 6-4, nonconference baseball victory over the Spartans on Tuesday.
The Chippewas (32-20), who also defeated MSU 17-13 at Olds Park on April 19, completed a season sweep of the Spartans with the win.
Taylor (3-0) put together his best start of the season, retiring eight straight batters at one point and surrendering just three singles. Travis Krider reached on an error to lead off the game, but Taylor picked him off first and retired seven of the next eight hitters he faced. After allowing a two-out single in the third, he recorded eight consecutive outs before issuing a one-out walk in the sixth.
His effort came nearly one month after his first career start, when Michigan State plated eight runs, including six earned, on seven hits in five innings. He took a no decision in the Chippewas' win on April 19.
CMU took a 1-0 lead in the first as J.T. Jones led off with a double, was sacrificed to third by Troy Moratti and scored on Humphrey's groundout.
Humphrey stretched the lead to 4-0 in the third, driving his 13th home run of the season over the wall in left. The roundtripper came on a full count with two outs and just one pitch after Humphrey started toward first assuming that an inside breaking ball was ball four.
Ben Humphrey is greeted at home plate following his three-run homer against Michigan State.  | |
The Chippewas added single runs in the fourth and fifth. Sean Hoorelbeke tripled home Eric Cannon and Jones scored from third when Bryan Mitzel grounded into a double play.
Sean Walker's RBI groundout dented the scoreboard for Michigan State in the sixth, and the Chippewas' bullpen uncharacteristically surrendered three runs in the eighth to make things interesting. With runners on second and third and two outs in the eighth, however, closer James Ricchio came on and immediately induced a groundout to end the inning. He also tossed a scoreless ninth inning to earn his team-leading seventh save of the season.
Hoorelebeke was the lone Chippewa to record two hits in the win. He tripled, singled, walked, scored once and drove in a run. Humphrey finished 1-for-3 with a walk and drove in four runs, while Jones scored twice.
Cannon, making his first start of the season at shortstop, was 1-for-2 with a single and a walk, scored once and was hit by a pitch.
E.J. Daws was 2-for-3 with two singles, two walks and scored twice for Michigan State.
CMU closes the regular season at home with a three-game series against Ball State beginning on Thursday. First pitch on Thursday and Friday is at 3 p.m., while Saturday's series finale gets underway at 1 p.m.
The Chippewas enter the series trailing Ball State by one-half game in the Mid-American Conference's West Division.
