Friday, April 23
Akron, OH
3 P.M.
Central Michigan University
21-11, 13-4
13
at
1
Akron
9-22, 3-18
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
R
H
E
Central Michigan
0
0
0
0
3
5
1
4
13
9
2
Akron
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
5
0
Sophomore Justin Simpson drove in a season-high five runs on Friday, sparking the Chippewas to a 13-1 win at Akron.
Photo by: Keara Chaperon '22
Patty Extends Scoreless Innings Streak; Chippewas Take Series Opener
4/23/2021 7:41:00 PM | Baseball
AKRON, Ohio – Plate patience, timely hitting, and Jordan Patty.
Winning combination, again, for Central Michigan baseball.
Patty threw six scoreless innings of three-hit ball and his teammates collected nine hits and took advantage of 13 walks on Friday as the Chippewas defeated Akron, 13-1, in the opener of a four-game Mid-American Conference baseball series at Akron's Skeeles Field.
The Chippewas improved to 21-11, 13-4 MAC. CMU entered the game tied with Ball State for first place in the league. The Cardinals swept a doubleheader from Northern Illinois on Friday to up their league record to 14-4.
The Chippewas and Zips are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Saturday (11 a.m.).
Friday's win marked the third time in five MAC series that the Chippewas have won the series opener.
"We had a stretch, quite a few games, where we just did not play particularly well to start the weekend and obviously that makes it a little bit of a grind," CMU coach Jordan Bischel said. "It's been nice the last couple of weeks we've been really sharp (on Friday).
"Game 1 doesn't guarantee anything for game 2 or game 3 or game 4, but certainly it's nice to get off to a fast start."
Patty, a junior right-hander, continued his dominant season, extending his scoreless innings streak to 31 2/3 and improving to 5-1. He struck out five and walked one. The reigning MAC Pitcher of the Week threw 88 pitches, 60 of them for strikes.
The Zips put the leadoff hitter on in each of Patty's final four innings, but he twice stranded a baserunner at third and induced a double play to erase another baserunner.
"We talk about the next pitch or the next play and we put a lot of emphasis on staying in the present and having a process to what you do and that shouldn't change depending on the score or the situation or anything like that," CMU coach Joran Bischel said. "I think that's been the key for him; he has just gotten to a point that he just stays in the present with what he's doing and makes the next pitch and it's put him in a nice routine.
"He's got a lot of poise and confidence, for good reason. We had a mistake or two today, but on the whole we've played really well behind him."
The Chippewas broke a scoreless tie with three runs in the fifth inning and then blew the game open with five in the sixth. The game was called after eight innings because of the run rule.
Justin Simpson singled, doubled and drove in five runs to lead the Chippewas at the plate, while Zach Gilles and Zach Heeke added two hits apiece. Gilles and Garrett Navarra drove in two runs each.
Simpson, the Chippewas' No. 9 hitter, drove in the game's first run with a fifth-inning single. His bases-loaded double with one out in the sixth extended the lead to 5-0.
His five RBI marked a CMU high for the sophomore shortstop who is in his first year at CMU after transferring from Golden West (Calif.) College. He is third on the team with a .329 batting average and is second with 25 RBI.
"We talk a lot that nobody should have to do more than one-ninth," Bischel said. "We should have nine guys in there who contribute and you just kind of do your ninth.
"Simp's a great example of that. His first RBI today was on a two-strike count and he did a great job of hitting the ball hard to the middle of the field. He's really been outstanding for us all year. It's tempting to move him up in the order, but certainly having him there (ninth) has really turned it over for the top (of the order) and he's helped us string together some big innings."
Winning combination, again, for Central Michigan baseball.
Patty threw six scoreless innings of three-hit ball and his teammates collected nine hits and took advantage of 13 walks on Friday as the Chippewas defeated Akron, 13-1, in the opener of a four-game Mid-American Conference baseball series at Akron's Skeeles Field.
The Chippewas improved to 21-11, 13-4 MAC. CMU entered the game tied with Ball State for first place in the league. The Cardinals swept a doubleheader from Northern Illinois on Friday to up their league record to 14-4.
The Chippewas and Zips are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Saturday (11 a.m.).
Friday's win marked the third time in five MAC series that the Chippewas have won the series opener.
"We had a stretch, quite a few games, where we just did not play particularly well to start the weekend and obviously that makes it a little bit of a grind," CMU coach Jordan Bischel said. "It's been nice the last couple of weeks we've been really sharp (on Friday).
"Game 1 doesn't guarantee anything for game 2 or game 3 or game 4, but certainly it's nice to get off to a fast start."
Patty, a junior right-hander, continued his dominant season, extending his scoreless innings streak to 31 2/3 and improving to 5-1. He struck out five and walked one. The reigning MAC Pitcher of the Week threw 88 pitches, 60 of them for strikes.
The Zips put the leadoff hitter on in each of Patty's final four innings, but he twice stranded a baserunner at third and induced a double play to erase another baserunner.
"We talk about the next pitch or the next play and we put a lot of emphasis on staying in the present and having a process to what you do and that shouldn't change depending on the score or the situation or anything like that," CMU coach Joran Bischel said. "I think that's been the key for him; he has just gotten to a point that he just stays in the present with what he's doing and makes the next pitch and it's put him in a nice routine.
"He's got a lot of poise and confidence, for good reason. We had a mistake or two today, but on the whole we've played really well behind him."
The Chippewas broke a scoreless tie with three runs in the fifth inning and then blew the game open with five in the sixth. The game was called after eight innings because of the run rule.
Justin Simpson singled, doubled and drove in five runs to lead the Chippewas at the plate, while Zach Gilles and Zach Heeke added two hits apiece. Gilles and Garrett Navarra drove in two runs each.
Simpson, the Chippewas' No. 9 hitter, drove in the game's first run with a fifth-inning single. His bases-loaded double with one out in the sixth extended the lead to 5-0.
His five RBI marked a CMU high for the sophomore shortstop who is in his first year at CMU after transferring from Golden West (Calif.) College. He is third on the team with a .329 batting average and is second with 25 RBI.
"We talk a lot that nobody should have to do more than one-ninth," Bischel said. "We should have nine guys in there who contribute and you just kind of do your ninth.
"Simp's a great example of that. His first RBI today was on a two-strike count and he did a great job of hitting the ball hard to the middle of the field. He's really been outstanding for us all year. It's tempting to move him up in the order, but certainly having him there (ninth) has really turned it over for the top (of the order) and he's helped us string together some big innings."
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Patty, Jordan (5-1)
L: FETT, A. (0-3)
Batting:
2B: Gilles, Zach 1 ; Shepardson, Aidan 1 ; Dardas, Nick 1 ; Simpson, Justin 1
RBI: Camilletti, Mario 1 ; Heeke, Zach 1 ; Gilles, Zach 2 ; Navarra, Garrett 2 ; Shepardson, Aidan 1 ; Simpson, Justin 5
SH: Gilles, Zach 1 ; Dardas, Nick 1
SF: Navarra, Garrett 1 ; Simpson, Justin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Camilletti, Mario 2 ; Heeke, Zach 1 ; Lechnir, Zach 1 ; Lechnir, Drew 1 ; Marsee, Jakob 1 ; Shepardson, Aidan 4 ; Dardas, Nick 1 ; Simpson, Justin 2
SB: Camilletti, Mario 1 ; Gilles, Zach 1 ; Rollin, Chase 1 ; Simpson, Justin 1
HBP: Lechnir, Zach 1 ; Shepardson, Aidan 1
Batting:
2B: SHELLENBARGE 1
RBI: REINHART, J. 1
SH: BARR, Justin 1 ; TILLY, Cam. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: GOULET, Brad 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
2
AB
2
R
2
H
2
RBI
5
AB
2
R
4
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
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