Central Michigan University
45-12
No.2 Ball State
37-18
Championship Game Next For Chippewas
5/25/2019 12:51:00 AM | Baseball
Brown fires complete game as CMU downs Ball State in MAC Tournament
The top-seeded Chippewas (45-12) will play in the title game on Saturday (6 p.m.) against either second-seeded Ball State or No. 5 Northern Illinois.
The Chippewas are coming off their first MAC regular-season title since 2015 and are seeking their first league tournament title – and with it an NCAA Tournament berth – since 1995.
The 45 wins are the second most in program history behind the 47 won by the 1988 team.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Chippewas scored seven runs on five hits and three Ball State errors in the seventh inning to turn a 2-1 deficit into an 8-2 lead.
After Garrett Navarra and David Cole both reached on errors to open the inning, Evan Kratt drove in a run with a single to tie the game 2-2. Zach Heeke, Zach Gilles and Griffin Lockwood-Powell followed with RBI singles to up the lead to 5-2.
Jason Sullivan then drove in a run with a fielder's choice, Cole added an RBI single, and the Chippewas picked up a run on an error.
Brown (10-0) struck out seven, allowed three hits and walked three in his first career complete game and the first complete game of the season by a Chippewa pitcher. His 10 wins lead the MAC and his win total ties Mike Brecht (1981) for the third-highest single-season total in program history.
AT THE PLATE
Heeke led CMU with two hits including a double.
NEXT
NIU and Ball State are scheduled to play at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday with the Chippewas awaiting the winner at 6 p.m.
If CMU loses on Saturday night, it will be the Chippewas' first loss of the tournament. Under the double-elimination format, CMU and either NIU or Ball State will play again in a winner-take-all game at noon on Sunday, May 26.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Brown, Cameron (10-0)
L: BAKER, John (7-2)
Batting:
RBI: RICOTTA, John 1
SH: POWELL, Noah 1
Base Running:
RUNS: SIMPSON, Aaron 1 ; MESSINA, Ross 1
HBP: BOLTON, Erek 1
Batting:
2B: Heeke, Zach 1
RBI: Heeke, Zach 1 ; Gilles, Zach 1 ; Lockwood-Powell, Griffin 1 ; Sullivan, Jason 1 ; Cole, David 1 ; Kratt, Evan 1
SH: Gilles, Zach 1 ; Cole, David 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Heeke, Zach 1 ; Gilles, Zach 1 ; Sullivan, Jason 1 ; Navarra, Garrett 1 ; Cole, David 2 ; Kratt, Evan 1 ; Rollin, Chase 1
SB: Sullivan, Jason 1
CS: Gilles, Zach 1 ; Kratt, Evan 1
HBP: Warren, Zavier 1 ; Cole, David 1 ; Kratt, Evan 1
