Big Inning Gives CMU 'Clash' Victory

DETROIT, Mich. – Central Michigan exploded for six runs in the eighth inning Tuesday in downing Michigan State, 7-4, in the fourth annual Clash at Comerica.

It marked the first time CMU has won in the four-year history of the game played on the home field of the Detroit Tigers, and gave the Chippewas a sweep of the three-game season series with the Spartans.

“I’ve known Jake a long time and we enjoy the competition,” CMU coach Steve Jaksa said, referring to Michigan State coach Jake Boss. “We both like to win and all that stuff, but there’s a bigger picture here with what we’re trying to do with baseball in the state and what we’re trying to show people. We had a lot of people here who saw a really good ball game by two really, I think, pretty good teams.”

It was the sixth win in seven starts for CMU (33-20). Michigan State is 26-24.

Nick Regnier and Tyler Huntey had two hits apiece to lead CMU, and both figured prominently in the sixth-run eighth, during which the Chippewas sent 10 men to the plate in turning a 2-1 deficit into a 7-2 lead.

Pat MacKenzie walked to lead off the inning and moved to second on a passed ball, then Huntey laced a double down the right-field line to tie it 2-2.

Cody Leichman, the Chippewas’ cleanup hitter, followed with a bunt that went for an error, allowing Huntey to move to third base. Logan Regnier then hit a slow roller toward second that was fielded by the second baseman. In attempting to force Leichman at second, the Spartans committed an error. Huntey scored to give CMU the lead, 3-2, and runners were at first and second.

A sacrifice fly, a stolen base and walk to Alex Borglin loaded the bases, and Morgan Oliver followed with a line-drive two-run single to left, stretching the lead to 5-2.

Nick Regnier smacked a two-out two-run triple to the gap in left center to make it 7-2.

The two Spartans errors in the inning loomed large, and the Chippewas took full advantage.

“We put a little pressure on them and sometimes people make a mistake here or there,” Jaksa said. “You need to score every run you can because they’ve got a good hitting team.”

The Spartans committed a combined 14 errors in their three losses to the Chippewas this season.

“We didn’t play well,” Boss said. “We made eight errors in the first game (against CMU) and we made (four) errors in the second game. Again tonight we had opportunities and we just folded, for lack of a better term, in the eighth inning.

“One game doesn’t have anything to do with the next. This game didn’t have anything to do with the one up at Mount Pleasant, and that game didn’t have anything to do with the one at our place. And that one didn’t have anything to do with the year before and so on.”

Jimmy McNamara (3-0) earned the win in relief of starter Adam Aldred. McNamara allowed one hit and struck out one over 1 2/3 innings.

Aldred surrendered two runs (one earned) on two hits while walking five and striking out one over 6 1/3 innings. Tim Black worked the ninth, allowing two runs on three hits.

The Spartans scored two runs in the second inning off Aldred, taking advantage of a walk and a throwing error to put two runners on. Ryan Richardson drove in both runs with a double.

“I thought our guys played hard and I just didn’t want the one miscue we made early in the game to cost us and I’m glad it didn’t because I thought we played better than that,” said Jaksa, whose team collected six hits but could muster just one run through the first seven innings.

The Chippewas stranded six base runners up to that point before finally breaking through in the eighth.

“You’ve just got to keep plugging away, you really do,” Jaksa said. “You have to have a good approach, a good attitude, and don’t let the last at-bat bother you. Hey, put that behind you and focus on what you’re doing now, which is a difficult thing to do.”

Anthony Misiewicz, the third of four Spartan pitchers, took the loss.

The Chippewas cut Michigan State’s lead to 2-1 on Zack Fields’ RBI single in the fourth.