Central Michigan University
Florida Gulf Coast
Opportunistic Chippewas Gain Split
2/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
FORT MYERS, Fla. - It doesn't always require a smoking line drive or a 400-foot blast.
Chalk one up for grit, determination and playing it down to the last strike - and beyond.
Logan Regnier scampered home from third on a wild pitch with two out in the top of the 12th inning Saturday as Central Michigan defeated Florida Gulf Coast, 7-6, at the Eagles' Swanson Stadium.
The victory earned the Chippewas (2-1) a split of the non-conference doubleheader. The Eagles (1-2) took the opener, 6-4. The teams play the finale of their four-game season-opening series at 11:30 a.m. Sunday.
"Right now, we're playing hard," CMU coach Steve Jaksa said. "I think they're committed to playing every inning of every game. I don't think they think they're ever out of games.
"Being a good teammate is about doing things to help us win a game and part of that is how you compete. We have a certain attitude and if we play that way then I think we'll continue to keep churning."
Tim Black (1-0) went the final three innings on the mound for the victory in the nightcap. The senior right-hander struck out four and allowed one hit. He got the final two Eagles on strikeouts after a one-out throwing error put a runner on second base.
Nick Regnier and Alex Borglin had three hits apiece to lead the Chippewas at the plate.
Jordan Grosjean started for CMU and allowed five runs on eight hits while striking out one and walking one over six innings.
Jimmy McNamara, Sean Martens and Braxton Markle each pitched in relief before giving way to Black, who made nine saves - tying for second on CMU's all-time single-season list - in 2014 and is one of 37 pitchers on the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award watch list.
Andris Gonzalez, the sixth of seven Gulf Coast pitchers, took the loss.
Morgan Oliver walked to lead off the 12th for CMU. Colton Bradley, pinch running for Oliver, went to third on a Logan Regnier single. Regnier stole second, putting two runners in scoring position with none out.
Bradley was cut down at the plate on a groundball off the bat of Zach McKinstry for the first out of the inning. Regnier stole third and, with two out, Nick Regnier struck out swinging, but reached on a wild pitch. Logan Regnier scampered home with the go-ahead run on the play.
Logan Regnier's two-out, two-run triple in the top of the ninth inning tied the game 6-6 and sent it to extra innings. In Friday's season-opener, his two-run triple was the difference in a 2-0 victory.
In Saturday's opener, Gulf Coast used a single, a hit batsman, a bunt, an RBI groundout, and a run-scoring single to break a 4-4 tie with two runs in the seventh inning.
Sean Renzi took the loss in relief of starter Adam Aldred. Renzi allowed two runs on two hits while walking one over 1 2/3 innings.
Aldred surrendered four runs on eight hits, while striking out five and walking two over 5 2/3 innings. Markle worked 2/3 of an inning in relief in his first collegiate appearance.
Freshman Daniel Jipping had a single and drove in two runs for the Chippewas, while Logan Regnier also had an RBI, and Morgan Oliver had a run-scoring single.
Garrett Anderson, the third Eagles pitcher, earned the win. He went 4 1/3 innings, allowing two hits and striking out three.
Gonzalez earned the save, getting Cody Leichman, the Chippewas' cleanup hitter, to fly out to left field with a runner at second in the ninth inning.
The Chippewas left nine runners on base, including six in scoring position.
"What we're trying to do is evaluate our guys," Jaksa said. "I want to continue to get better and I don't want them to get in their own way. We played hard again (Saturday), we played the whole game both games. The first one we were a hit or two away in that one.
"Mentally we have to stay a little more disciplined in our approach offensively. We're going to continue to get better as long as we don't get in our own way. We want to make sure that we're on the emotional plus side and that helps a great deal. Wins like that help that."
Freshman right-hander Pat Leatherman will start for the Chippewas on Sunday.
