Central Michigan University
19-7, 3-3
Northern Illinois
7-20, 5-1
Big Inning Leads To Chippewa Sweep
3/30/2019 8:27:00 PM | Baseball
CMU baseball improves to 5-1 in MAC play
The win gave the Chippewas a sweep of the three-game Mid-American Conference series. CMU is 19-7, 5-1 league. NIU is 7-20, 3-3.
CMU, which has won five consecutive games and seven of its last eight, finished with 15 hits, drew 11 walks and stranded 14 baserunners. Five Chippewas finished with two or more hits, and Evan Kratt and Jason Sullivan combined to drive in seven runs.
"We competed our butts off," CMU coach Jordan Bischel said. "We left a lot of guys on base early, but we were threatening. We don't always break through right away, but when you keep applying pressure eventually good things are going to happen.
"It's never easy to sweep a team, especially in conference play because of the familiarity. We always take it one game at a time and don't think about the results of the series. But now that it's over, to get three is really good job by our guys."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Northern Illinois scored four runs, highlighted by a Dylan Lonteen three-run homer, in the top of the sixth inning in seizing a 5-3 lead.
The lead did not last long.
CMU sent 14 batters to the plate in the bottom half of the inning, scoring 10 runs on six hits and taking advantage of four walks and a hit batsman.
The big blows were struck by Zach Heeke, Griffin Lockwood-Powell and Evan Kratt. Heeke had a two-run double, while Kratt and Lockwood-Powell each had a two-run single.
AT THE PLATE
Lockwood-Powell finished with three hits, while Heeke, Zavier Warren, Jacob Crum and Kratt had two hits each. Kratt had four RBI and Sullivan had three.
ON THE MOUND
Garrett Willis (1-0) earned his first career victory, allowing one earned run on two hits over 1 2/3 innings. Willis relieved starter Tyler Hankins, who surrendered four runs and on six hits while striking out three over 5 1/3 innings. Zach Kohn and Jack Collins each worked an inning of relief for the Chippewas.
NEXT
The Chippewas go to South Bend, Ind., for a non-conference game on Tuesday, April 2 (6 p.m.) against Notre Dame, and then play at Michigan State on Wednesday, April 3 (4 p.m.).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Willis, Garrett (1-0)
L: THOMAS (1-1)
Batting:
2B: SZCZASNY 1 ; SMITH 1 ; MUTTER 1
HR: LONTEEN 1
RBI: SZCZASNY 1 ; SMITH 2 ; LONTEEN 4 ; MUTTER 3
Base Running:
RUNS: JOYCE 1 ; SZCZASNY 1 ; DUNHAM 1 ; O'BRIEN 1 ; MONTGOMERY 1 ; SMITH 2 ; LONTEEN 2 ; MUTTER 1
PO: JOYCE 1 ; LONTEEN 1
Batting:
2B: Heeke, Zach 1 ; Warren, Zavier 1 ; Kratt, Evan 1
3B: Crum, Jacob 1
RBI: Heeke, Zach 2 ; Warren, Zavier 2 ; Lockwood-Powell, Griffin 2 ; Sullivan, Jason 3 ; Rollin, Chase 1 ; Kratt, Evan 4
SF: Sullivan, Jason 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Heeke, Zach 2 ; Warren, Zavier 2 ; Gilles, Zach 2 ; Lockwood-Powell, Griffin 1 ; Crum, Jacob 2 ; Sullivan, Jason 2 ; Rollin, Chase 1 ; Kratt, Evan 1 ; Williams, Gaoshua 1
SB: Gilles, Zach 1 ; Rollin, Chase 1
HBP: Heeke, Zach 1 ; Rollin, Chase 1
