Central Michigan University
Kent State
Chippewas Drop A Heartbreaker In Series Finale
4/30/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
KENT, Ohio - Three games, three down-to-the-wire battles.
Kent State scored a run in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie, then won with a run in the 10th Sunday in handing Central Michigan a 6-5 loss in the rubber game of a big Mid-American Conference baseball series at the Golden Flashes' Schoonover Stadium.
The Golden Flashes won Friday's series opener, 9-7, while the Chippewas took game two on Saturday, 7-4. The series loss was CMU's first in the MAC this season.
The Chippewas are 23-20 overall and continue to lead the MAC West at 11-4. Kent State is 27-13, 12-3, and leads the MAC East and the league overall. Both teams have three MAC series - nine games total - to play before the league tournament.
CMU plays host to Northern Illinois in a MAC series next weekend.
The Chippewas trailed, 4-0, on Sunday then got two runs in the sixth and three in the seventh to seize a 5-4 lead. Daniel Jipping hit a two-run home run in the sixth, and Jason Sullivan did likewise in the seventh to tie the game 4-4. Robert Greenman's long RBI single off the top of the wall in right-center in the seventh put CMU up 5-4.
Luke Burch singled to lead off the bottom of the ninth for Kent State. He was bunted to second and scored on a double by pinch hitter Zach Schultz, tying the game 5-5.
The Golden Flashes got a single and two walks to load the bases with one out in the bottom of the 10th, then Matthews delivered a one-out RBI single to end it.
CMU closer Colton Bradley (4-1) took the loss, his first of the season. He came on in the eighth and induced an inning-ending groundball double play.
Alex Borglin and Daniel Robinson finished with two hits apiece for CMU. The Golden Flashes out hit the Chippewas, 14-8.
Jipping's home run was his team-leading 10th of the season, and his fifth in CMU's last five games. The junior outfielder is hitting .384 (10-for-26) with 16 RBI over that span.
Sullivan's homer was the second of his career. His first came last Wednesday in an 8-4 nonleague win over Oakland.
Chippewa starter Pat Leatherman allowed four runs on six hits and struck out two over 4 2/3 innings. Jordan Grosjean and Zach Kohn both pitched 1 1/3 innings in relief before Bradley took over to start the ninth.
Robert Zeigler (2-0), the third Kent State pitcher, picked up the win. He held the Chippewas to one hit over the final four innings.
