Leatherman Superb As CMU Downs Western

Saturday, April 27

Mount Pleasant, Mich.

1 p.m.

Central Michigan University

30-12, 12-5

Western Michigan

13-25, 6-9

Western Michigan

Central Michigan

CMU pitcher Pat Leatherman gets a high-five from teammate Zach Heeke on Saturday at Keilitz Field at Theunissen Stadium.

Photo by: Allissa Rusco

4/27/2019 6:26:00 PM | Baseball

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Chippewas go for series sweep on Sunday

By: Mitch Vosburg, CMUChippewas.com

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- Pat Leatherman struck out nine and limited Western Michigan to three hits over seven innings on Saturday as the Central Michigan baseball team topped the Broncos, 6-1, in a Mid-American Conference game at Keilitz Field at Theunissen Stadium.

The win lifted CMU to 30-12, 12-5 MAC. The Chippewas are percentage points out of first place in the league. Miami (Ohio) and Ball State are both 11-4 in conference play and share the top spot.

Leatherman (6-1), a fifth-year senior who has been a workhorse throughout his collegiate career, posted his second career regular-season victory over the rival Broncos and upped his career strikeout total to 236, which is fifth best in program history.

Leatherman allowed a run on three hits in the second inning, but got the final out of the inning on a strikeout to leave the bases loaded. He was superb over the next four innings, allowing just one baserunner – a two-out walk in the fifth – and setting down nine in a row at one point.

No Bronco advanced beyond first base after the second inning.

"It's a rivalry," Leatherman said. "Knowing that's the last time I'll play them, unless we see them in the (MAC) Tournament, and (playing) at Theunissen kind of means a lot."

HOW IT HAPPENED
Jason Sullivan's third-inning two-run double broke a 1-1 tie and put the Chippewas ahead for good.

The Chippewas added two insurance runs in the fifth as Zach Heeke singled in a run and then Sullivan scored from third on a double steal with Garrett Navarra. Navarra added an RBI groundout in the seventh. He also had a run-scoring single in the second.

AT THE PLATE
Sullivan finished with three hits, while Heeke, Jacob Crum and Griffin Lockwood-Powell added two hits each.

SOLID EFFORT
Grant Frazer allowed two hits and struck out three in pitching the final two innings. CMU collected 11 hits, three of them doubles, and committed just one error in the game.

"This is as well as we've played in a few weeks, probably going back to (the) Ball State (series)," CMU coach Jordan Bischel said. "To our guys' credit, when we've struggled a little bit, we still fought and got some wins. But we played a really complete game today."

NEXT
The Chippewas will attempt to complete the series sweep on Sunday (1 p.m.). Sophomore Jordan Patty is scheduled to start for CMU. Patty struck out eight over five innings last weekend in earning the victory in an 18-3 win at Toledo.