Central Michigan University
Missouri State
Chippewas Drop Series Opener At Missouri State
4/1/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Thursday's series opener at Missouri State was somewhat symbolic of how it's gone for the Central Michigan baseball team in 2016.
The Chippewas fought, scratched and clawed, but in the end, came up short.
Missouri State (20-5) scored twice in the eighth inning in downing the Chippewas, 2-0, at the Bears' Hammons Field. The teams play game two of the series Friday at 7:30 p.m. and close the series Saturday at 3:05 p.m.
"I felt for the last couple weeks, and I told (the players) this, I do believe we're going to get there," said CMU coach Steve Jaksa after the Chippewas slipped to 5-21. "We've got to hang tough, we've got to battle like we did today."
Sean Renzi, making his first start since Feb. 26, turned in one of the best pitching performances by a CMU starter this season, allowing one run on five hits, striking out seven and walking four over seven innings.
Renzi went toe-to-toe with Missouri State starter Jordan Knutson, a left-hander who fanned 10, walked four and allowed four hits over 7 2/3 innings.
"You can control being aggressive and you can control your competitiveness, and Sean set the table tonight," Jaksa said. "He competed his butt off. He was aggressive in the s zone. I told him when I went out and took the ball from him that I was really, really proud of him.
"If he continues to do that we're going to have a lot of success when he's on the mound."
Renzi (2-3) threw 120 pitches, 79 of them for strikes in taking the loss. Three times he worked out of two-on jams.
He left after surrendering a lead-off single to Justin Paulsen to start the eighth inning.
Jimmy McNamara relieved and got a groundout on which Paulsen moved to second. Pinch hitter Jordan Hovey then tripled off Jordan Grosjean to break the scoreless tie, and Aaron Meyer followed with an RBI single.
Zach McKinstry had two hits, and Daniel Robinson and Daniel Jipping had one each for CMU, which stranded seven base runners.
"We had three opportunities with a guy on second base and we couldn't quite do it," Jaksa said, adding that Knutson made it difficult on the Chippewa hitters. "I told the guys, 'You've got to learn from that. You're going to see another guy like this kid, just as good, and we have to continue to learn and keep fighting the fight.'
"There is nothing else to do in this game. We have to keep fighting, and I know they're fighting, I know they're working hard. I believe that we're going to get through it, we're going to get this thing turned. Just got to keep grinding and we've got to stay with it. Doesn't mean it's going to be easy, but right now we're fighting like hell."
Sam Perez (5-0), who relieved Knutson with two out in the eighth, earned the win. Bryan Young set down the Chippewas in order in the ninth for his eighth save.
Junior left-hander Nick Deeg (1-5) will start for CMU on Friday against righty Dylan Coleman (3-1).
