Central Michigan University Athletics
Tuesday, February 20
Nacogdoches, Texas
7:30 p.m. ET
Central Michigan University
2-3
11
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Stephen F. Austin
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Central Michigan
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10
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Stephen F. Austin
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Jack Eichler, in his first game in a Chippewa uniform, finished with three hits and drove in four runs in CMU's 11-3 win on Wednesday.
Photo by: Jack Reeber '23,M'25 - @jackreeber.raw
Baseball Explodes for 10 Runs in 9th Inning, Downs Stephen F. Austin
2/21/2024 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Just 48 hours ago, Central Michigan baseball coach Jake Sabol lamented to his team about the need to play all nine innings to win a baseball game after it had allowed two runs in the ninth in a 6-5 loss to Stephen F. Austin.
On Tuesday, he was singing the same tune, but with a completely different vibe.
Down 3-1 entering the ninth, the Chippewas scored 10 runs on five hits and six walks – three of them with the bases loaded – in downing SFA, 11-3, at the Lumberjacks' Pilgrim's Park.
"That was a pretty gutty performance all the way around," Sabol said. "Sometimes you need things like this to happen for teams to start getting on a roll and you kind of saw it there in the ninth inning.
"They walked a few guys, we started to find a few barrels, and then all of a sudden things started to roll our way and really up until this point they haven't. Funny how the game works. One thing goes well and, like people say, it's contagious and that's exactly what it was in the ninth.
"It was something we needed and hopefully it gets us going a little bit."
The Chippewas (2-3) and Lumberjacks (3-2) play their fourth and final game of the series on Wednesday (4 p.m.). CMU then heads for Dallas for a three-game weekend series with Dallas Baptist.
CMU sent 15 men to the plate in the ninth, starting with Ely Stuart who, naturally, drew a walk. Jacob Donahue singled and then Elijah Henning bunted for a base hit to load the bases.
Jack Eichler's sacrifice fly drew the Chippewas to 3-2, and then Bryson Webb doubled in a run to tie it.
Jake Brill and Danny Wuestenfeld drew back-to-back walks, and Wuestenfeld's free pass forced in the go-ahead run and chased SFA closer Caleb Rutledge, who is on the Stopper of the Year Preseason Watch List.
Drew Stengren greeted the next reliever, Conner Woods, with a run-scoring single to make it 5-3. Stuart, Donahue and Henning drew consecutive bases-loaded walks to make it 8-3.
Eichler then delivered the knockout blow, a three-run triple to right to make it 11-3.
Eichler, CMU's No. 9 hitter, also singled and doubled and finished with four RBI in his first game in a Chippewa uniform.
"He's been waiting for his turn, he's been a great teammate," Sabol said. "His (first) at-bat there in the last inning, the sac fly, to get it to (Webb) was just big. He was a catalyst today at the end of the lineup who was on base three times."
Bryce Hellgeth (1-0), the fourth CMU pitcher, picked up the victory, his first as a Chippewa. He held the Lumberjacks to one hit over the final 2 2/3 innings.
Hellgeth came on with two on and one out in the seventh. After a passed ball moved both runners into scoring position, Hellgeth got cleanup hitter Peyton Parker to fly out and end the inning and keep it a 3-1 game.
Junior right-hander Sean Knorr, a transfer from Kellogg Community College, made his first career start, allowing two runs over 2 1/3 innings. Jared Hanson, a redshirt freshman, went three innings in relief in his first career appearance, and then Quinn Konuszewski pitched one inning.
Konuszewski, like Hellgeth, had to work out of a jam to keep the Chippewas within striking distance. He entered the game in the sixth with runners on the corners and one out. He got back-to-back strikeouts to end the frame.
"When each guy was out there, there were big moments and they all came through in their own way," Sabol said. "That was Sean Knorr's first appearance in a Central Michigan uniform and he's coming off an injury, so we had a pitch count, trying to work him back in a little bit.
"We knew we weren't going to get a ton out of him, but for him to get into the third inning was a little bit better than we thought; I think he's got a chance to be pretty good and we wanted to get his feet wet starting, and we did that.
"Hanson has really come on; he's earned some opportunities and he pitches with some intensity. He filled it up and got some important outs to bridge it to (Konuszewski)."
"(Hellgeth) threw the ball extremely well and he's that guy we wanted to get into a game late in the game where we had a chance and it just so happened that we put up a 10 spot and made it a little easier for him."
Collectively, the quartet surrendered 10 hits, but walked just three and struck out nine. And, most importantly, they limited SFA to one run over the final six innings.
"Those guys pitch like that, we're going to be in a ton of games this year, which is really encouraging," Sabol said.
On Tuesday, he was singing the same tune, but with a completely different vibe.
Down 3-1 entering the ninth, the Chippewas scored 10 runs on five hits and six walks – three of them with the bases loaded – in downing SFA, 11-3, at the Lumberjacks' Pilgrim's Park.
"That was a pretty gutty performance all the way around," Sabol said. "Sometimes you need things like this to happen for teams to start getting on a roll and you kind of saw it there in the ninth inning.
"They walked a few guys, we started to find a few barrels, and then all of a sudden things started to roll our way and really up until this point they haven't. Funny how the game works. One thing goes well and, like people say, it's contagious and that's exactly what it was in the ninth.
"It was something we needed and hopefully it gets us going a little bit."
The Chippewas (2-3) and Lumberjacks (3-2) play their fourth and final game of the series on Wednesday (4 p.m.). CMU then heads for Dallas for a three-game weekend series with Dallas Baptist.
CMU sent 15 men to the plate in the ninth, starting with Ely Stuart who, naturally, drew a walk. Jacob Donahue singled and then Elijah Henning bunted for a base hit to load the bases.
Jack Eichler's sacrifice fly drew the Chippewas to 3-2, and then Bryson Webb doubled in a run to tie it.
Jake Brill and Danny Wuestenfeld drew back-to-back walks, and Wuestenfeld's free pass forced in the go-ahead run and chased SFA closer Caleb Rutledge, who is on the Stopper of the Year Preseason Watch List.
Drew Stengren greeted the next reliever, Conner Woods, with a run-scoring single to make it 5-3. Stuart, Donahue and Henning drew consecutive bases-loaded walks to make it 8-3.
Eichler then delivered the knockout blow, a three-run triple to right to make it 11-3.
Eichler, CMU's No. 9 hitter, also singled and doubled and finished with four RBI in his first game in a Chippewa uniform.
"He's been waiting for his turn, he's been a great teammate," Sabol said. "His (first) at-bat there in the last inning, the sac fly, to get it to (Webb) was just big. He was a catalyst today at the end of the lineup who was on base three times."
Bryce Hellgeth (1-0), the fourth CMU pitcher, picked up the victory, his first as a Chippewa. He held the Lumberjacks to one hit over the final 2 2/3 innings.
Hellgeth came on with two on and one out in the seventh. After a passed ball moved both runners into scoring position, Hellgeth got cleanup hitter Peyton Parker to fly out and end the inning and keep it a 3-1 game.
Junior right-hander Sean Knorr, a transfer from Kellogg Community College, made his first career start, allowing two runs over 2 1/3 innings. Jared Hanson, a redshirt freshman, went three innings in relief in his first career appearance, and then Quinn Konuszewski pitched one inning.
Konuszewski, like Hellgeth, had to work out of a jam to keep the Chippewas within striking distance. He entered the game in the sixth with runners on the corners and one out. He got back-to-back strikeouts to end the frame.
"When each guy was out there, there were big moments and they all came through in their own way," Sabol said. "That was Sean Knorr's first appearance in a Central Michigan uniform and he's coming off an injury, so we had a pitch count, trying to work him back in a little bit.
"We knew we weren't going to get a ton out of him, but for him to get into the third inning was a little bit better than we thought; I think he's got a chance to be pretty good and we wanted to get his feet wet starting, and we did that.
"Hanson has really come on; he's earned some opportunities and he pitches with some intensity. He filled it up and got some important outs to bridge it to (Konuszewski)."
"(Hellgeth) threw the ball extremely well and he's that guy we wanted to get into a game late in the game where we had a chance and it just so happened that we put up a 10 spot and made it a little easier for him."
Collectively, the quartet surrendered 10 hits, but walked just three and struck out nine. And, most importantly, they limited SFA to one run over the final six innings.
"Those guys pitch like that, we're going to be in a ton of games this year, which is really encouraging," Sabol said.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hellgeth, Bryce (1-0)
L: C. Rutledge (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Webb, Bryson 1 ; Eichler, Jack 1
3B: Eichler, Jack 1
RBI: Webb, Bryson 1 ; Wuestenfeld, Danny 1 ; Stengren, Drew 1 ; Stuart, Ely 1 ; Donahue, Jacob 1 ; Henning, Elijah 1 ; Eichler, Jack 4
SF: Eichler, Jack 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Webb, Bryson 1 ; Brill, Jake 1 ; Wuestenfeld, Danny 1 ; Stengren, Drew 1 ; Stuart, Ely 2 ; Donahue, Jacob 2 ; Henning, Elijah 3
SB: Webb, Bryson 1 ; Donahue, Jacob 1
CS: Webb, Bryson 1
HBP: Webb, Bryson 1 ; Wuestenfeld, Danny 1 ; Donahue, Jacob 2
Batting:
2B: N. Brown 2 ; D. Bourgeios 1
RBI: C. Hill 1 ; T. Biggs 1 ; J. Thompson 1
Base Running:
RUNS: C. Griffin 1 ; C. Hill 1 ; P. Parker 1
SB: C. Hill 2
HBP: P. Parker 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
0
H
3
RBI
4
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
3
H
2
RBI
1
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
OF
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/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
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RHP
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