Central Michigan University
Ohio
Bats Boom as Chippewas Take MAC Win
3/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Cullen Maksimowski, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- The Central Michigan baseball team exploded for a season-high 15 hits including a pair of home runs Saturday for a 9-3 Mid-American Conference victory over Ohio at Theunissen Stadium.
The win ends a three-game losing streak as the Chippewas improved to 14-9, 1-1 in the MAC. The teams are scheduled to close the three-game series Sunday (1:05 p.m.) at Theunissen.
Freshman Pat Leatherman (3-0) started and earned the win, going 5 1/3 innings. He allowed three runs on five hits while walking two and striking out four.
Junior Sean Renzi pitched 3 2/3 innings of no-hit relief to earn his first save of the season. He tallied a career-high seven strikeouts and walked just one.
"It was just a good team win for us today," CMU coach Steve Jaksa said. "I thought Leatherman did a nice job on the mound for us and Renzi was just outstanding."
Renzi came on with the bases loaded and one out in the sixth inning and the Chippewas holding a 5-3 lead. He recorded back-to-back strikeouts to end the threat.
"I just concentrated on throwing strikes," Renzi said. "My fastball was moving a lot, my changeup was working well and I finally got the curveball at the end too."
Logan Regnier had three hits and three RBI to lead CMU at the plate. His two-run triple in the third inning put the Chippewas up, 2-0. It was his fifth three-bagger of the season.
Daniel Jipping made it 4-0 in the same inning with a two-run homer, his second of the season.
Tyler Huntey also homered for the Chippewas, a timely solo shot in the fifth that extended CMU's lead to 5-2 just one-half inning after the Bobcats had scored twice to cut CMU's lead to 4-2.
"It was just good to see them put in good at-bats," Jaksa said of Jipping and Huntey. " Both of the them were big. Jipping's came after (Regnier's) triple which put us up by four and Tyler's gave us a three-run cushion ... and that was big in that situation."
Alex Borglin had two hits including a double for the Chippewas, and Ryan Heeke delivered a pinch-hit two-out two-run double in the eighth to pad the lead.
Huntey, Nick Regnier and Jipping finished with two hits apiece as eight of the nine Chippewas in the starting lineup recorded at least one hit on the day.
Mason McWilliams, the first of six Ohio pitchers, took the loss. He allowed five runs on nine hits while walking one and striking out two over four innings.
The Bobcats are 12-7, 1-1 MAC.
