Central Michigan University Athletics
Central Michigan University
Wichita State
CMU Baseball Wins 5th Straight
3/7/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Brent Schriber, CMUChippewas.com
WICHITA, Kan. -- Dominant pitching and timely hitting ensured victory for the Central Michigan baseball team as it defeated Wichita State, 4-1, Saturday at the Shockers' Eck Stadium.
It was the fifth consecutive win for CMU (10-4).
Saturday's game was decided by pitching. CMU starter and winner Pat Leatherman (2-0), a freshman right-hander, allowed one run, struck out six and walked one over 6 2/3 innings.
"He (Leatherman) has good presence on the mound, handles himself very good out there, CMU coach Steve Jaksa said. "When situations arise, he just competes and stays with the game plan and throws quality pitches. It's all you can ask anybody to do."
CMU took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning when Cody Leichman grounded out to second base to score Pat MacKenzie, then Zach McKinstry scored on a passed ball.
Leatherman held Wichita State scoreless until the seventh inning when the Shockers put together a single, a stolen base and an RBI single to cut CMU's lead to 2-1.
With CMU clinging to its 2-1 lead, the Shockers loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning when junior left-hander Josh Pierce entered the game in relief and got a strikeout and a flyout to end the inning.
"That was a great job there after coming in with the bases loaded, one out," Jaksa said. "Big strikeout and that flyout to keep us up 2-1."
The Chippewas tacked on two runs in the ninth on Nick Regnier's bases-loaded single, scoring Joe Houlihan and Colton Bradley.
Tim Black allowed a two-out single in the ninth inning but nothing more to earn his sixth save. His total leads the Mid-American Conference.
The Chippewas and Shockers will close the series Sunday at 2:00 p.m. CMU will then travel to Lawrence, Kan., to face Kansas on Tuesday before heading to the Indiana State Invitational.
