Central Michigan University Athletics
Central Michigan University
Florida Gulf Coast
Chippewas Win Season-Opening Series
2/15/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Brent Schriber, CMUChippewas.com
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Morgan Oliver homered and Logan Regnier doubled and tripled to back freshman right-hander Pat Leatherman Sunday as the Central Michigan baseball team closed its season-opening weekend with a 5-2 win over Florida Gulf Coast.
The Chippewas took three of four games from the Eagles. CMU (3-1) returns to Florida next weekend for a four-game set with Stetson (1-2) in Deland.
Leatherman, pitching his first collegiate game, threw 95 pitches over six innings, striking out four, walking two and allowing three hits. Just one of the two runs he allowed was earned.
"He had good presence, good poise and really executed the game plan," CMU coach Steve Jaksa said. "That was a good first start for him being able to pitch six innings and he did a real nice job."
Regnier doubled and tripled and drove in a run to lead CMU at the plate, while Oliver hit a solo homer to left field in the fourth inning, upping CMU's lead to 3-1.
Gulf Coast (1-3) cut its deficit to 3-2 with a run in the fifth. The Chippewas added a pair of insurance runs in the ninth on an RBI double by Regnier and a sacrifice fly by freshman Zach McKinstry.
Jimmy McNamara set the Eagles down in order in the seventh and Jason Gamble worked the eighth, allowing a leadoff single but no more, for the Chippewas. Freshman Braxton Markle induced a game-ending double-play grounder for his first save.
"Our pitchers coming out of the bullpen after Leatherman got it done," Jaksa said. "They did well with their holds today and they threw the ball nicely. It was a one-run game until those two (runs) in the top of the ninth."
It was quite an opening weekend for Regnier, a junior outfielder. He had five hits including three triples and a double, drove in six runs, stole two bases, and finished the four games with 12 total bases.
Regnier's two-run triple was the difference in CMU's 2-0 win on Friday. On Saturday, he smacked a two-run triple with two out in the ninth inning to tie the game and send it to extra innings, where he scored the winning run on a wild pitch in the 12th inning.
