Central Michigan University
Ohio
Chippewas Complete Sweep Of Ohio; 6-0 In MAC
4/9/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
ATHENS, Ohio - Another solid start, another hold-the-fort performance by the bullpen, another Mid-American Conference sweep for the Central Michigan baseball team.
Pat Leatherman went seven strong innings and Colton Bradley closed it out for the third consecutive game as the Chippewas beat Ohio, 4-2, on Sunday at the Bobcats' Bob Wren Stadium.
The win gave the Chippewas a sweep of the three-game series as they improved to 17-14, 6-0 MAC. They are the lone unbeaten team in the MAC and lead the West by two games over Eastern Michigan.
The win was CMU's seventh straight and its ninth in its last 10 starts. The Chippewas play at Oakland in a non-league game on Tuesday (3 p.m.) then entertain rival Western Michigan in a three-game series at Theunissen Stadium beginning on Friday, April 14 (3:05 p.m.).
Leatherman (4-3) surrendered one run on six hits, walked two and struck out seven over seven innings in outdueling Ohio's Michael Klein (3-2), who entered the game with a MAC-best 1.65 earned run average. Klein surrendered two runs on seven hits, walked two and struck out three over six innings.
Leatherman has won his last three starts in dominant fashion, allowing just one earned run in those three games, during which he has worked 19 innings.
"His stuff was really good," CMU coach Steve Jaksa said of Leatherman, a sophomore right-hander. "He got some big strikeouts in some key situations. Their guy was pretty good too. It was a scratch and claw, a run at a time."
Jake Raether and Michael Brettell combined to get the Chippewas through the eighth with minimal damage - the Bobcats loaded the bases with one out, but could manage just one run in the inning - and Bradley closed it out for his sixth save.
Bradley finished all three of CMU's weekend wins, notching two saves. The junior right-hander has not allowed a run in his last seven appearances.
Sophomore Evan Kratt provided the punch in CMU's lineup, collecting three hits. Reed Adams finished with two hits and Nick Stokowski and Jason Sullivan each had an RBI single.
The Chippewas got on the board in the third when Reed Adams singled, took second on a passed ball, went to third on a groundout, and scored on Sullivan's infield hit the hole at shortstop.
Kratt led off the fourth with a double and Stokowski singled him home to make it 2-0. Kratt delivered a two-run single in the seventh to up the Chippewas' lead to 4-0.
