Central Michigan University
Michigan
Michigan Puts the Squeeze on CMU
5/6/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- Eric Jacobson's suicide squeeze bunt in the top of the 10th inning broke a 5-5 tie Wednesday as Michigan handed Central Michigan a 6-5 loss in a non-conference game at Theunissen Stadium.
The loss dropped CMU to 30-18. Michigan is 29-20. CMU returns to Mid-American Conference play this weekend with a three-game series at Ball State. CMU holds a two-game lead in the league race.
The Chippewas trailed 5-0 after an inning-and-a-half, but got an excellent effort from their bullpen and came back to forge a 5-5 tie, knotting it with two runs in the fifth.
CMU left the bases loaded in both the fifth and sixth innings, then went down in order in their final four turns at the plate.
"We got beat 6-5 in extra innings and we were one hit away from winning the game," CMU coach Steve Jaksa said. "We had the bases loaded in the fifth and the sixth and we had the right guys up both times with two outs and we needed a two-out knock. That's all. You get a two-out knock you win. If you don't you're in a dogfight."
Both teams used five pitchers. Jacob Cronenworth went the final two innings for Michigan for the victory. He struck out four. Connor Kelly, the fourth CMU pitcher, took the loss.
Cody Bruder led off the 10th with a double and took third on a bunt. Jacobson laid down a suicide squeeze that rolled up the first-base line. Pitcher Tim Black got to the ball and flipped it to catcher Robert Greenman. Bruder was called safe on a very close play.
"It took a perfect bunt along the first-base line," Jaksa said, "(Black) came in and made a really nice play and it was really close at the plate, but (Bruder) got his hand in."
Alex Borglin had two hits and Tyler Huntey doubled for the Chippewas, who drew to 5-1 on Daniel Jipping's RBI groundout in the bottom of the second.
Huntey delivered a two-run double in the third to cut Michigan's lead to 5-3, then the Chippewas scored twice in the fifth to tie it. Cody Leichman scored on a wild pitch and Jipping drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the tying run.
"I was really proud with how we came back and tied the game and were right on the cusp of winning it," Jaksa said. "You had two pretty good teams play a good college baseball game that was probably a lot of fun for people to watch. We came up one run short in extra innings."
CMU starter Josh Pierce went just one inning, allowing three runs on two hits and walking three. Jimmy McNamara, Jordan Grosjean and Kelly each worked in relief before Black finished.
Grosjean, who pitched four shutout innings last Friday against Northern Illinois, allowed just one hit, walked one and struck out two over 3 2/3 innings.
"I was really happy with the the bullpen, but our pitching, except for one game, in the last few weeks has been really pretty good," Jaksa said. "I thought our team battled, I thought we did a lot of things well."
