Wednesday, March 8
Sacramento, Calif.
7 p.m. (ET)
Central Michigan University
6-6
3
at
5
Sacramento State
8-4
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Central Michigan
0
2
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
3
9
0
Sacramento State
0
0
0
0
1
4
0
0
X
5
8
1
CMU starter Garrett Navarra struck out a career-high 13 on Wednesday in the Chippewas' 5-3 loss at Sacramento State.
Photo by: Jack Reeber '23,M'25 - @jackreeber.raw
Big Inning Costs Baseball in Series-Opening Loss at Sacramento State
3/8/2023 10:34:00 PM | Baseball
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – To the good, Central Michigan pitching got plenty of swings and misses against Sacramento State on Wednesday.
But when the Hornets did connect, they did just enough damage in dealing the Chippewas a 5-3 loss in the opener of a four-game series at John Smith Field.
The teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Thursday (2 p.m. ET) and then are slated to close the series with a single game on Friday with a start time to be announced. CMU is 6-6; Sacramento State, 8-4.
CMU pitchers Garrett Navarra and Ryan Palmblad combined to strike out 19, the highest total for CMU pitching in a game since at least 2019 and the second-highest number for a Mid-American Conference team this season.
Navarra, CMU's starter, had a career-high 13 punchouts and allowed just four hits over five innings as CMU built a 3-1 lead.
He ran into trouble in the sixth when he surrendered a run on two hits, a hit batter, and a walk. He gave way to Palmblad with the bases loaded and none out and the Chippewas leading, 3-2.
Pinch hitter Gunnar Gouldsmith hit Palmblad's first pitch into the left field corner for a bases-clearing double and a 5-3 lead.
Palmblad allowed another single to put runners on the corners, but he worked out of the jam by recording three strikeouts. He set down the Hornets in order in both the seventh and eighth innings and finished with six strikeouts, tying his career high.
Navarra (0-2) took the loss. Cooper Rons (2-1), the second of four Sacramento State pitchers, picked up the victory.
After surrendering the lead in the bottom of the sixth, CMU responded as Ely Stuart walked to lead off the seventh and Nick Dardas doubled to put runners at second and third with none out.
But reliever Trey Goodrich came on to get two popups and the final out of the inning on a hard ground ball off the bat of Danny Wuestenfeld that hit Dardas, who was running between second and third.
The Chippweas got two runs in the second inning on a Stuart RBI sacrifice bunt and a Sacramento State error.
CMU added a run in the fourth on a Cole Prout two-out RBI single.
The Chippewas finished with nine hits, two each by Wuestenfeld and Navarra.
But when the Hornets did connect, they did just enough damage in dealing the Chippewas a 5-3 loss in the opener of a four-game series at John Smith Field.
The teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Thursday (2 p.m. ET) and then are slated to close the series with a single game on Friday with a start time to be announced. CMU is 6-6; Sacramento State, 8-4.
CMU pitchers Garrett Navarra and Ryan Palmblad combined to strike out 19, the highest total for CMU pitching in a game since at least 2019 and the second-highest number for a Mid-American Conference team this season.
Navarra, CMU's starter, had a career-high 13 punchouts and allowed just four hits over five innings as CMU built a 3-1 lead.
He ran into trouble in the sixth when he surrendered a run on two hits, a hit batter, and a walk. He gave way to Palmblad with the bases loaded and none out and the Chippewas leading, 3-2.
Pinch hitter Gunnar Gouldsmith hit Palmblad's first pitch into the left field corner for a bases-clearing double and a 5-3 lead.
Palmblad allowed another single to put runners on the corners, but he worked out of the jam by recording three strikeouts. He set down the Hornets in order in both the seventh and eighth innings and finished with six strikeouts, tying his career high.
Navarra (0-2) took the loss. Cooper Rons (2-1), the second of four Sacramento State pitchers, picked up the victory.
After surrendering the lead in the bottom of the sixth, CMU responded as Ely Stuart walked to lead off the seventh and Nick Dardas doubled to put runners at second and third with none out.
But reliever Trey Goodrich came on to get two popups and the final out of the inning on a hard ground ball off the bat of Danny Wuestenfeld that hit Dardas, who was running between second and third.
The Chippweas got two runs in the second inning on a Stuart RBI sacrifice bunt and a Sacramento State error.
CMU added a run in the fourth on a Cole Prout two-out RBI single.
The Chippewas finished with nine hits, two each by Wuestenfeld and Navarra.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Rons, Cooper (2-1)
L: Navarra, Garrett (0-2)
S: Zalasky, Jack (5)
Batting:
2B: Dardas, Nick 1
RBI: Prout, Cole 1 ; Stuart, Ely 1
SH: Stuart, Ely 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Navarra, Garrett 1 ; Morgan IV, Robby 1 ; Mitchelle, Christian 1
SB: Morgan IV, Robby 1 ; Mitchelle, Christian 1 ; Prout, Cole 1
CS: Dardas, Nick 1
HBP: Mitchelle, Christian 1
Batting:
2B: Vincelli-Simard, M 1 ; Gouldsmith, Gunner 1
3B: Malone, Zack 1
RBI: Rolling, Josh 1 ; Smith, JP 1 ; Gouldsmith, Gunner 3
SF: Rolling, Josh 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Vincelli-Simard, M 1 ; Crenshaw, Garet 1 ; Christansen, Ryan 1 ; Malone, Zack 2
HBP: Crenshaw, Garet 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
5
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
C
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