Sunday, May 23
Mount Pleasant, MI
10 A.M.
Central Michigan University
36-16, 27-9
8
vs
4
Eastern Michigan
20-27, 14-22
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2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Eastern Michigan
2
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
4
12
3
Central Michigan
2
3
0
0
1
1
1
0
X
8
11
1
Photo by: Jack Reeber '23,M'25 - @jackreeber.raw
Baseball Completes Sweep On Senior Day, Remains Atop MAC
5/23/2021 3:22:00 PM | Baseball
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Griffin Lockwood-Powell drove in three runs and Cameron Brown survived a rocky first inning on Sunday as the Central Michigan baseball team downed Eastern Michigan, 8-4, completing a sweep of a four-game Mid-American Conference series at Keilitz Field at Theunissen Stadium.
The Chippewas improved to 36-16 overall, 27-9 in the MAC, and remain in first place in the league with one series to play, next weekend at Toledo. CMU's lead is at two games over Ball State, which fell 9-7 at Ohio on Sunday.
"We're going to be excited to play and we're going to have fun," said CMU coach Jordan Bischel, whose team is seeking to defend its 2019 MAC title. "We'll embrace and enjoy it.
"It's really hard to get to this point. Most teams don't. That's the nature of championships; only one team out of each league wins one. Can't guarantee we're going to win next week, but we can guarantee that we'll embrace it and enjoy it."
The Chippewas enjoyed Senior Day on Sunday and the series, as they outscored the Eagles by a combined 27-6 and got solid-to-outstanding efforts from all four of their starters and the bullpen.
Brown, one of those many seniors playing for the final time in the Chippewas' home park, surrendered two runs on three hits in the first inning. He settled in after that, allowing four runs on nine hits and striking out two over six innings in improving to 7-2.
"I've had better (outings) that's for sure," Brown said. "But it's baseball. Sometimes the ball gets knocked around a little bit. You just stick with your mental process and stick with what we know we do well here and battle through it."
The Chippewas tied the game in the bottom of the first on Lockwood-Powell's two-run single, and then went ahead for good with three runs in the second on Justin Simpson's RBI triple, a Mario Camilletti run-scoring single, and a Lockwood-Powell sacrifice fly.
"I knew they were going to do it," Brown said of the Chippewas' offense. "They always do. I'm never worried about giving up a couple in the first.
"It means everything to me to pitch here on the last time we're going to play here and the last chance I ever have. I'm just so grateful, so thankful for having a season and not only that, but this place, Theunissen means everything to me. CMU means everything to me. Mount Pleasant means everything to me. To have this chance, means the world to me. So grateful."
Grant Frazer, another senior, closed it out with three scoreless innings for his fourth save.
Camilletti, CMU's junior second baseman, had two hits and finished the series with eight hits, four of them doubles, in 14 at-bats. He also scored six runs and drew a walk, his 58th of the season, and needs one more to tie Zavier Warren's program record of 59 set in 2019.
Camilletti, in his first season as a Chippewa after transferring from Oakland, raised his on-base percentage to a sterling .508 with his big weekend. He ranks in the top 25 nationally in that category.
"If there's a better leadoff hitter in the country, you're going to have to work hard to find him," Bischel said. "He's just a tough out every time. He'll take his walks if you're going to give them to him, but like we saw this weekend, if you're going to pitch to him, he's going to hit and he's going to drive the ball."
Third baseman Aidan Shepardson, another transfer (McLennan CC), led the Chippewas with a season-high three hits including a double, while Jakob Marsee had two hits to finish the weekend 7-for-13.
Sunday's win was particularly gratifying for Bischel in that it came on Senior Day for a group of players who have produced more than 150 wins during their time in Mount Pleasant, and many played significant roles in the magical 2019 season, when CMU won both the MAC regular-season and tournament titles and went to the NCAA Tournament.
Another league crown and NCAA berth could come in seven days.
"They get a ton of credit," Bischel said. They've invested in themselves and in this program and our coaching staff. They really put a lot into this and last year was tough with the COVID and all of that kind of stuff and they just kept going, kept working.
"I don't think people realize how tough it is to have a great fifth year. They expected to be done last year and they had to recharge and go back to work. You don't just naturally play well. You have to come out and work and prepare."
The Chippewas improved to 36-16 overall, 27-9 in the MAC, and remain in first place in the league with one series to play, next weekend at Toledo. CMU's lead is at two games over Ball State, which fell 9-7 at Ohio on Sunday.
"We're going to be excited to play and we're going to have fun," said CMU coach Jordan Bischel, whose team is seeking to defend its 2019 MAC title. "We'll embrace and enjoy it.
"It's really hard to get to this point. Most teams don't. That's the nature of championships; only one team out of each league wins one. Can't guarantee we're going to win next week, but we can guarantee that we'll embrace it and enjoy it."
The Chippewas enjoyed Senior Day on Sunday and the series, as they outscored the Eagles by a combined 27-6 and got solid-to-outstanding efforts from all four of their starters and the bullpen.
Brown, one of those many seniors playing for the final time in the Chippewas' home park, surrendered two runs on three hits in the first inning. He settled in after that, allowing four runs on nine hits and striking out two over six innings in improving to 7-2.
"I've had better (outings) that's for sure," Brown said. "But it's baseball. Sometimes the ball gets knocked around a little bit. You just stick with your mental process and stick with what we know we do well here and battle through it."
The Chippewas tied the game in the bottom of the first on Lockwood-Powell's two-run single, and then went ahead for good with three runs in the second on Justin Simpson's RBI triple, a Mario Camilletti run-scoring single, and a Lockwood-Powell sacrifice fly.
"I knew they were going to do it," Brown said of the Chippewas' offense. "They always do. I'm never worried about giving up a couple in the first.
"It means everything to me to pitch here on the last time we're going to play here and the last chance I ever have. I'm just so grateful, so thankful for having a season and not only that, but this place, Theunissen means everything to me. CMU means everything to me. Mount Pleasant means everything to me. To have this chance, means the world to me. So grateful."
Grant Frazer, another senior, closed it out with three scoreless innings for his fourth save.
Camilletti, CMU's junior second baseman, had two hits and finished the series with eight hits, four of them doubles, in 14 at-bats. He also scored six runs and drew a walk, his 58th of the season, and needs one more to tie Zavier Warren's program record of 59 set in 2019.
Camilletti, in his first season as a Chippewa after transferring from Oakland, raised his on-base percentage to a sterling .508 with his big weekend. He ranks in the top 25 nationally in that category.
"If there's a better leadoff hitter in the country, you're going to have to work hard to find him," Bischel said. "He's just a tough out every time. He'll take his walks if you're going to give them to him, but like we saw this weekend, if you're going to pitch to him, he's going to hit and he's going to drive the ball."
Third baseman Aidan Shepardson, another transfer (McLennan CC), led the Chippewas with a season-high three hits including a double, while Jakob Marsee had two hits to finish the weekend 7-for-13.
Sunday's win was particularly gratifying for Bischel in that it came on Senior Day for a group of players who have produced more than 150 wins during their time in Mount Pleasant, and many played significant roles in the magical 2019 season, when CMU won both the MAC regular-season and tournament titles and went to the NCAA Tournament.
Another league crown and NCAA berth could come in seven days.
"They get a ton of credit," Bischel said. They've invested in themselves and in this program and our coaching staff. They really put a lot into this and last year was tough with the COVID and all of that kind of stuff and they just kept going, kept working.
"I don't think people realize how tough it is to have a great fifth year. They expected to be done last year and they had to recharge and go back to work. You don't just naturally play well. You have to come out and work and prepare."
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Brown, Cameron (7-2)
L: GRANZOTTO (3-2)
S: Frazer, Grant (4)
Batting:
2B: HOPKINS 1
RBI: HOPKINS 1 ; JONES, N. 1 ; BAULT 1 ; DENTON 1
SF: HOPKINS 1 ; JONES, N. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: HOPKINS 1 ; JONES, N. 1 ; MONAHAN 1 ; JONES, NA. 1
Batting:
2B: Shepardson, Aidan 1
3B: Simpson, Justin 1
RBI: Camilletti, Mario 1 ; Lockwood-Powell, Griffin 3 ; Shepardson, Aidan 1 ; Simpson, Justin 1
SF: Lockwood-Powell, Griffin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Camilletti, Mario 2 ; Marsee, Jakob 1 ; Navarra, Garrett 1 ; Rollin, Chase 1 ; Shepardson, Aidan 1 ; Simpson, Justin 2
SB: Marsee, Jakob 1 ; Gilles, Zach 1 ; Simpson, Justin 1
CS: Gilles, Zach 1
PO: Marsee, Jakob 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
1
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
3
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballC
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
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