Central Michigan University
NIU
Baseball Splits At Northern Illinois
4/9/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
DeKALB, Ill. - Jarrod Watkins hit a pinch-hit RBI double to cap a three-run eighth inning Saturday and lift the Central Michigan baseball team to a 7-6 victory over Northern Illinois in game one of a Mid-American Conference doubleheader at the Huskies' Ralph McKinzie Field.
Northern Illinois bounced back to win game two, 3-2, scoring the game-winning run on a wild pitch in the 10th inning.
"A lot of good things out of both games today," CMU coach Steve Jaksa said. "We just got a split instead of winning two. Couldn't quite get it done today. Would have been huge to get a win, get the sweep, win a series on the road. Close isn't good enough."
The Chippewas are 7-24 overall, 2-3 MAC and play Michigan State (20-5) on Wednesday in the seventh annual Clash at Comerica at Comerica Park in Detroit. NIU is 8-22, 4-4.
CMU trailed, 6-4, in the opener then scored three runs in the eighth to take the lead for good.
Zach McKinstry led off the inning with a walk, moved up on a Daniel Jipping single, and scored on an error. Jipping scored on Daniel Robinson's groundout to tie the game 6-6.
"It's been awhile since we've come from behind like that and got a couple of key knocks, got a break, and got a W," Jaksa said.
Winning pitcher Jimmy McNamara (2-0) did not allow a run in four innings of relief, taking over in the fourth for starter Pat Leatherman and the Chippewas trailing, 6-4. The senior left-hander surrendered four hits.
Jordan Grosjean worked the final two innings for the save, his first of the season.
"It's so important to keep them where they were," Jaksa said of McNamara. "He kept them at six (runs) and gave us a chance to be in striking distance. He really pitched nicely for us."
The Huskies put the tying run at third with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but Grosjean got a groundball and a strikeout to end the game.
"Grosjean came in and did a really nice job in putting that thing away," Jaksa said. "Three breaking balls on the punchout, three crisp breaking balls in that situation."
CMU starter Pat Leatherman allowed six runs (one earned) on five hits while walking two over three innings. The Chippewas committed four errors in the game.
"We didn't support him nearly as well as we should have," Jaksa said. "We weren't real solid behind him. That was disappointing and that made his innings really long. But like he always does, he battled, he gave us everything he had."
Jipping hit a two-run homer to stake CMU to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. It was his second homer of the series, and his team-leading fifth of the season.
Alex Borglin and McKinstry finished with two hits apiece.
The Huskies loaded the bases with two out in the bottom of the 10th in the nightcap and Justin Fletcher raced home from third on a wild pitch by Chippewa reliever Colton Bradley (0-1), who took the loss.
Junior left-hander Nick Deeg started for CMU and went nine innings, allowing two runs on three hits. He struck out three and walked four in his best outing of the season.
"It was exactly what we were working towards and getting back to," Jaksa said. "Hopefully he'll get a little confidence or get back into a groove and continue to pitch like that for the next six, seven weekends in a row."
The Chippewas outhit the Huskies, 7-5. McKinstry and Robert Greenman had two hits apiece for the Chippewas. McKinstry doubled in a run in the third inning and Morgan Oliver drove in a run in the fourth on a foul popup.
