Central Michigan University
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Western Michigan
Chippewas Win, Will Play Miami In Tourney Opener
5/21/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Robert Greenman delivered the key hit for the second straight day and three Central Michigan pitchers combined to shut down Western Michigan once again on Saturday as the Chippewas defeated the Broncos, 3-1, in the finale of a Mid-American Conference three-game series at Theunissen Stadium.
The win, their 10th in their last 13 games, gave the Chippewas their third consecutive MAC series win.
CMU, 21-35 and 12-12 MAC, goes in to the MAC Tournament at All Pro Freight Stadium in Avon, Ohio, as the sixth seed. They open on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. against third-seeded Miami (Ohio). The Chippewas took two of three from Miami last weekend at Theunissen Stadium.
"You're playing at home, you're playing Western, that's always a rivalry game and we want to get a W in those games and win the series," CMU coach Steve Jaksa said.
The Chippewas dropped the series opener on Thursday, 2-1, then bounced back to win on Friday, 8-1. It marked the second time in as many weekends that the Chippewas dropped game one then came back to win the next two.
"We bounced back (Friday) and today we played really well again," Jaksa said. "The two things we talked about, pitching and defense, you're going to be in every game and we were in all three games."
Pat Leatherman (2-4) went 5 2/3 innings for the win, his second in as many starts. He allowed a run on five hits while striking out five.
Greenman smacked a game-changing two-run double for the second consecutive game. His two-out, two-run double to the wall in left-center field in the fourth to put the Chippewas up, 3-0.
Greenman had two of CMU's five hits. Jarrod Watkins got the Chippewas on the board with an RBI single in the second inning.
Michael Brettell relieved Leatherman in the sixth, and induced an inning-ending fly out, stranding a runner at second after the Broncos had pushed across a run against Leatherman earlier in the inning. Brettell went 2 1/3 innings, allowing one hit and walking one.
Morgan Oliver worked the ninth for his second save. A walk, a single and a groundout put runners at second and third, but Oliver got the final out on a grounder.
Jack Szott (1-8), the second of six Western pitchers, took the loss. He allowed three runs on three hits, walked three and struck out two over two innings.
