Baseball Pounds Out 10-0 Win at Michigan State

Tuesday, April 9

East Lansing, Mich.

6:05 p.m.

Central Michigan University

11-22

Michigan State

14-16

Central Michigan

Michigan State

CMU's Nick Dardas hustles down the first base line on Tuesday in the Chippewas' 10-0 win at Michigan State.

4/9/2024 9:29:00 PM | Baseball

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Trey Miller, two relievers combine on CMU's first shutout of the season; Sabol notches first win against a Power 5 opponent

By: Andy Sneddon

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Marquis Jackson homered and Central Michigan got superb pitching on Tuesday in downing Michigan State, 10-0, in a nonconference baseball game at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field. The game was called after seven innings on the run rule.

It was CMU's first shutout of the season and first-year coach Jake Sabol's first win over an opponent from a Power 5 conference. It was also the Chippewas' fifth consecutive win over the Spartans.

Danny Wuestenfeld doubled twice and drove in four runs, Nick Dardas singled and tripled, and Jackson hit his second homer of the season to lead CMU's nine-hit attack.

"I thought our preparation overall today was really good," said Sabol, whose team has won five of its last nine games. "I credited them before the game started that that was the best batting practice, infield, outfield that we've taken all year and hopefully it would translate into the game, and it certainly did. It couldn't have gone any better.

"We played good defense, we pitched it well, we swung it the way we did in BP. It was just good to see guys take that and let it correlate to the game. Getting a midweek (win) against a Power 5, in-state rival, that should do much more for us than any other win that we've had so far."

Trey Miller (1-3), a senior right-hander who entered the game with an 11.21 earned run average, allowed four hits, struck out two and walked one over five innings for his first career victory.

"The beginning of the year (Miller) was in the rotation and I thought he was throwing the ball fairly well, but he was coming off an arm injury and it was starting to creep back in," Sabol said. "We gave him some time off and this was probably his second or third start since.

"He mixes well and that was the big thing today. Even when he got behind in hitter's counts, he was able to throw a breaking ball 2-0 and land it. They just didn't really look all that comfortable today. I'm super proud of him. We needed that."

The Chippewas turned four double plays, three behind Miller. Bryce Hellgeth and Evan Waters each threw an inning of relief.

"They were huge," Sabol said of the double plays. "They were clean, they were smooth, they were inning killers, that's for sure. Trey, he does that with his stuff. His ball runs a little bit and he gets some ground balls when he's in the zone."

The Chippewas took a 3-0 lead through three innings, getting all three runs on RBI groundouts. They made it 4-0 in the fifth on an Ely Stuart two-out RBI single.

Jackson led off CMU's four-run sixth with a homer, and then Wuestenfeld smacked a two-run double, and Stuart hit a two-out sacrifice fly to make it 8-0.

The Chippewas added two more in the sixth when Wuestenfeld drew a bases-loaded walk and then Donahue was hit by a pitch to drive in a run.

CMU finished with nine hits, drew five walks and were hit by a pitch six times.

"We found ways to score runs in different ways, and we need to do that as an offense," Sabol said. "We scored early and then were able to do it again in the middle innings, which we've struggled with.

"We ran the bases well, we had timely hits. It just makes it tough for (opponents) to gameplan against if you can do a few of those things. That was a great performance by the offense."

Jackson's homer was a towering shot to right field and it came two games after he doubled to break a 0-for-23 slump in a 10-9 win against Toledo on Saturday.

"Boy oh boy I don't think we've hit a ball like that all year," Sabol said. "That was a no-doubter; he knew it. Good to see guys have a little fun back at the field again today."

The Chippewas, who are 5-10 in Mid-American Conference play, go to Bowling Green for a three-game series this weekend. The Falcons are 12-0 and in first place. CMU is ninth, three games behind sixth-place Miami (Ohio). The top six teams earn a spot in the MAC Tournament.

"We've got a big weekend coming up and hopefully (this win) allows us to play that way again on Friday and if we get a couple in a row, you never know what could happen," Sabol said. "I think this is going to do a lot for us moving into the weekend."