Saturday, April 3
DeKalb, IL
1 P.M.
Central Michigan University
12-8, 0
2
at
1
Northern Illinois
5-16, 0
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5
6
7
R
H
E
Central Michigan
0
2
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4
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Northern Illinois
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7
2
Photo by: Mackenna Kelly
Baseball: 2 Vastly Different Avenues To 2 Victories
4/3/2021 9:12:00 PM | Baseball
Chippewas run win streak to 5 with doubleheader sweep at Northern Illinois
DeKALB, Ill. – Plenty of routes to victory when it comes to baseball.
Central Michigan took two vastly different roads on Saturday in sweeping a Mid-American Conference doubleheader from Northern Illinois at the Huskies' Ralph McKinzie Field.
Ian Leatherman danced out of danger in the bottom of the seventh (final) inning of the opener to preserve a 2-1 Chippewa victory and then CMU collected 13 hits and drew 12 walks in its highest run-scoring effort of the season in winning the nightcap, 17-6
The Chippewas have won five-straight games and are 13-8, 5-2 MAC. NIU is 5-17, 4-7. The teams conclude the four-game series on Sunday (1 p.m.).
Game 1
The Chippewas scratched out two runs in the second inning when Zach Lechnir walked and then Justin Simpson was safe on an error. Mario Camilletti delivered a two-out single to score Lechnir and Simpson went to third. Camilletti then stole second and the throw from the catcher sailed into center field and Simpson scampered home from third.
Chippewa starter Andrew Taylor (4-2) allowed four hits, struck out five and walked one over six solid innings. Leatherman came on in the seventh and hit the leadoff hitter before recording back-to-back strikeouts.
NIU then managed three-consecutive singles, the last of which was an infield hit that drove in a run to cut it to 2-1. With the tying run at third base and the winning run at second, Leatherman induced a game-ending fly ball for his third save.
"We've really settled into a pretty consistent mode here on the mound," CMU coach Jordan Bischel said. "Our starters have done a pretty nice job game in and game out of giving us a chance to win.
"I thought (Taylor) today probably had his worst command he's had this year and that's a big credit to him because on a day when he wasn't as sharp as he typically is, he goes out and gives you six scoreless innings and found a way through it.
"Ian threw better than what the result shows. He hit the first guy which put him in a little bit of a bind and there was an infield single, but he's got a lot of confidence right now. He's strung together a bunch of really good outings after a rough opening day. Did a great job."
Game 2
Garrett Navarra delivered on the mound and at the plate in leading the Chippewas.
Navarra, a junior left-hander, broke a 2-2 tie with a two-out, three-run double in the third inning and then took over on the hill for starter Cameron Brown with one out in the fourth and the bases loaded. He got a popup and a strikeout to end the threat and then set down the Huskies in order in the fifth and picked up the victory.
"(Brown) struggled a little bit but he kept us in the game, pitched with the lead and then Garrett did a great job out of the bullpen," Bischel said. "He shut down a bases-loaded situation and allowed us to build the lead a little bit."
Navarra is 2-0 with a 3.75 earned run average on the mound and is second on the team in batting average (.375) and slugging percentage (.458).
"Boy is he unbelievably valuable," Bischel said of Navarra. "That (double) was a 3-2 count, he got a curveball and he was able to hit the three-run double, then he comes in and pitches. He just keeps getting better. One of the most valuable guys we have because of how many ways he can help us win."
The Chippewas broke the game open with a six-run sixth inning and then added five more in the seventh.
Chase Rollin hit a two-run homer, his second round-tripper of the season, to stake the Chippewas to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Camilletti, Jakob Marsee, Navarra and Zach Heeke had two hits apiece.
"We're going to be pretty good at getting on base," said Bischel, whose team entered the weekend with a MAC-best .429 on-base percentage. "The key is you've got to come up with a couple of big hits and we did that, whether it's Navarra's double or Rollin hitting the home run early, that's the big thing.
"It's guys sticking together, and you look at the box score, there's just a lot of production up and down. I don't think anybody had more than two hits, but you had guys on base in every spot in the order and when you do that it puts a lot of pressure on the other team."
Central Michigan took two vastly different roads on Saturday in sweeping a Mid-American Conference doubleheader from Northern Illinois at the Huskies' Ralph McKinzie Field.
Ian Leatherman danced out of danger in the bottom of the seventh (final) inning of the opener to preserve a 2-1 Chippewa victory and then CMU collected 13 hits and drew 12 walks in its highest run-scoring effort of the season in winning the nightcap, 17-6
The Chippewas have won five-straight games and are 13-8, 5-2 MAC. NIU is 5-17, 4-7. The teams conclude the four-game series on Sunday (1 p.m.).
Game 1
The Chippewas scratched out two runs in the second inning when Zach Lechnir walked and then Justin Simpson was safe on an error. Mario Camilletti delivered a two-out single to score Lechnir and Simpson went to third. Camilletti then stole second and the throw from the catcher sailed into center field and Simpson scampered home from third.
Chippewa starter Andrew Taylor (4-2) allowed four hits, struck out five and walked one over six solid innings. Leatherman came on in the seventh and hit the leadoff hitter before recording back-to-back strikeouts.
NIU then managed three-consecutive singles, the last of which was an infield hit that drove in a run to cut it to 2-1. With the tying run at third base and the winning run at second, Leatherman induced a game-ending fly ball for his third save.
"We've really settled into a pretty consistent mode here on the mound," CMU coach Jordan Bischel said. "Our starters have done a pretty nice job game in and game out of giving us a chance to win.
"I thought (Taylor) today probably had his worst command he's had this year and that's a big credit to him because on a day when he wasn't as sharp as he typically is, he goes out and gives you six scoreless innings and found a way through it.
"Ian threw better than what the result shows. He hit the first guy which put him in a little bit of a bind and there was an infield single, but he's got a lot of confidence right now. He's strung together a bunch of really good outings after a rough opening day. Did a great job."
Game 2
Garrett Navarra delivered on the mound and at the plate in leading the Chippewas.
Navarra, a junior left-hander, broke a 2-2 tie with a two-out, three-run double in the third inning and then took over on the hill for starter Cameron Brown with one out in the fourth and the bases loaded. He got a popup and a strikeout to end the threat and then set down the Huskies in order in the fifth and picked up the victory.
"(Brown) struggled a little bit but he kept us in the game, pitched with the lead and then Garrett did a great job out of the bullpen," Bischel said. "He shut down a bases-loaded situation and allowed us to build the lead a little bit."
Navarra is 2-0 with a 3.75 earned run average on the mound and is second on the team in batting average (.375) and slugging percentage (.458).
"Boy is he unbelievably valuable," Bischel said of Navarra. "That (double) was a 3-2 count, he got a curveball and he was able to hit the three-run double, then he comes in and pitches. He just keeps getting better. One of the most valuable guys we have because of how many ways he can help us win."
The Chippewas broke the game open with a six-run sixth inning and then added five more in the seventh.
Chase Rollin hit a two-run homer, his second round-tripper of the season, to stake the Chippewas to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Camilletti, Jakob Marsee, Navarra and Zach Heeke had two hits apiece.
"We're going to be pretty good at getting on base," said Bischel, whose team entered the weekend with a MAC-best .429 on-base percentage. "The key is you've got to come up with a couple of big hits and we did that, whether it's Navarra's double or Rollin hitting the home run early, that's the big thing.
"It's guys sticking together, and you look at the box score, there's just a lot of production up and down. I don't think anybody had more than two hits, but you had guys on base in every spot in the order and when you do that it puts a lot of pressure on the other team."
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Taylor, Andrew (4-2)
L: MCPHERSON (1-2)
S: Leatherman, Ian (3)
Batting:
RBI: Camilletti, Mario 1
SH: Marsee, Jakob 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Lechnir, Zach 1 ; Simpson, Justin 1
SB: Camilletti, Mario 1
Batting:
RBI: BARNES 1
SH: BARNES 1
Base Running:
RUNS: DUNHAM 1
SB: LONTEEN 1
HBP: DUNHAM 1
PO: RODRIGUEZ 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
3b/2b
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
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RHP
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