Central Michigan University
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Western Michigan
Chippewas Bow To Western
5/28/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
AVON, Ohio - Throughout Central Michigan's run in the Mid-American Conference Tournament, the Chippewas had gotten the jump on their opponents early in the game.
Western Michigan played turnabout on Saturday night, seizing a 3-0 lead through two innings as the Broncos ended CMU's season with a 4-0 victory at All-Pro Freight Stadium.
CMU finished 23-37, winning 12 of its last 17 games and rebounding from a tournament-opening loss to Miami (Ohio) to win three straight and find itself among the final four teams left standing in the eight-team tourney.
"There's a lot of disappointment because we thought we were going to be able to finish this run," CMU coach Steve Jaksa said. "That's what we started, that's what we thought we could do and we gave everything that we had to do it.
"I just feel really bad that we couldn't get to one more game to see what might have happened. Just ran out of bullets at the end of the day."
Seventh-seeded Western (21-32) will play in the championship game on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. against top-seeded Kent State.
The Chippewas began the season 5-23, but surged late and went into the league tourney as the sixth seed, finishing 12-12 in league play and winning their last three conference series.
CMU overcame a rash of injuries, particularly to its bullpen, in putting together its late-season upswing. The injury bug bit again at the tournament, when the Chippewas lost left fielder and No. 2 hitter Ryan Heeke and center fielder/pitcher and No. 5 hitter Dazon Cole to injuries and illness.
"The second half of the season we turned it around and did a hell of a job," Jaksa said. "I've got no complaints with anything with regard to that. The resiliency that we showed -- we use that word a lot, but the way that we played and the way that we overcame so much to finish the way that we did.
"My focus is on the guys that we're going to be losing, my seniors. I love those guys -- guys who stuck with it and did what they did this year, and there were a number of them that we lost (to injury) who couldn't play. I just tip my hat to the character of those young men.
"This won't be the worst thing that'll ever happen to them, but it is really hard. Because when you love baseball and it's taken away from you before your time, it's very, very difficult."
Western's Jacob Piechota (10-3) silenced the Chippewa bats in his first start of the season. A two-out David Cole double in the fifth inning was the loan hit surrendered by Piechota, who struck out four and walked one over six innings.
CMU didn't have much success against Piechota's replacement, Jake Bartels. Bartels surrendered two hits and struck out two in going the final three frames for his sixth save.
"Their guys did a fine job, but at the same time I felt our guys battled like hell, gave it everything they had," Jaksa said. "I thought we competed every single game down here. I don't think we miss-hit anything today. We hit a lot of balls hard, right on the screws. Our approach was solid and we swung that bats well."
Senior left-hander Jimmy McNamara (2-2) took the loss. Making his first start of the season, McNamara allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits over 1 2/3 innings.
Colton Bradley went 4 1/3 innings in relief and Morgan Oliver, another senior, worked the final two frames for CMU. They combined to allow one run on three hits, strike out four and walk four.
"Our pitchers competed," Jaksa said. "Colton Bradley was just completely out of gas. He just competed so hard. All of our guys did."
