Central Michigan University
NIU
Chippewas Strike Early, Even Series
5/6/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Andy Sneddon,CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Robert Greenman and Jason Sullivan each hit a two-run homer and three pitchers combined to protect the lead on Saturday as Central Michigan evened its three-game Mid-American Conference series with Northern Illinois at a game apiece with a 12-9 win at Theunissen Stadium.
The rubber match is Sunday at 1:05 p.m. The Chipppewas, 24-21 overall, improved to 12-5 in the MAC, and remain atop the West Division and one game behind East-leading Kent State in the overall standings.
The home runs by Sullivan (his third) and Greenman (his seventh) staked CMU to a 4-0 first-inning lead.
"That put an exclamation point on it that it's a new day, a new game," CMU coach Steve Jaksa said, eluding to CMU's 18-6 loss in Friday's series opener. "Our guys did a good job of putting (Friday) behind them. We were ready to go today."
The Chippewas never surrendered the lead, tacking on runs every time the Huskies (15-30 overall, 9-8 MAC) appeared poised to make a move.
"Our intensity was really good today, and we played a nine-inning game," Jaksa said. "That ballclub (NIU), they're going to battle too. The way it is in the MAC this time of year. The game was never over today. We had to keep scoring. And our pitchers really battled hard."
Pat Leatherman started for the Chippewas and went 4 2/3 innings. Jordan Grosjean went 2 1/3 innings in relief and Colton Bradley went the final two frames to close it out.
Grosjean (1-3) earned the win, his first of the season. Leatherman surrendered five runs on seven hits, walked three and struck out six.
He left with a 7-4 lead with two out in the fifth and Roderick Bynum - who had tripled in his first two at-bats off Leatherman - coming to the plate.
"We thought that was the time we had to get him out of there and it worked it," said Jaksa, adding that Leatherman's pitch count at that point was 101. "We got out of that inning with only giving up one run, and then we were able to tack on again."
Grosjean allowed a run-scoring single, but got a strikeout to end the inning with the bases loaded. Grosjean allowed two runs on five hits, while Bradley surrendered two runs on four hits and struck out three.
The Huskies outhit the CMU, 16-14, and stranded 12 baserunners. The Chippewas stranded 10.
Daniel Robinson finished with four hits including a double and drove in three runs to lead the Chippewas at the plate. Alex Borglin, Daniel Jipping, Evan Kratt and Zach Gilles added two hits apiece.
