Offenses Persist as Baseball Drops Game Two to Eastern Michigan, 9-7

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — Central Michigan Baseball dropped the second of this weekend's three-game set with Eastern Michigan to set up a Sunday rubber match at 1 p.m.

Four Chippewas collected a multi-hit game, led by second baseman Aaron Piasecki with two RBI via a one-out triple in the fifth inning and a two-out double in the seventh as CMU mounted a rally from a 7-2 deficit.

Cayden Smith knocked in the first two CMU runs with the bases loaded in the fourth in response to three previously unanswered from the Eagles to that point.

EMU fired back with four runs in the fifth for a 7-2 lead and to force Chippewa starter Jared Hanson off the mound in four-and-a-third, opening the door for a strong relief appearance for Alejandro Espinoza.

Piasecki's two extra-base RBI over the middle innings brought Central Michigan back to an 8-4 deficit and set the stage for a three-run eighth frame.

Brady Krzciok led off the inning with a double to open the carousel of Chippewas as Cole Prout, pinch-hitter Rees Campanale and Zach Knowlton—the bottom of the CMU order—all tallied a RBI and draw back to within one, 8-7.

Espinoza cruised through the Eagles, allowing just one run into the ninth. Prout flexed his defensive muscle, covered significant distance for a diving catch in the right-center gap for the second out of the ninth.

A solo home run the following at-bat, and a left-handed bat on deck, closed the book on Espinoza with two runs on five hits and a strikeout through four-and-a-third. Quin Konuszewski wrapped up the top of the inning with a six-pitch strikeout.

Krzciok and Cole Kwiatkowski posted back-to-back two-out base hits but were left stranded in the final frame. Hanson was tagged with the loss, dropping his record on the mound to 2-4 on the season.

The chase to make the cut for the six-team Mid-American Conference Championship continues from Theunissen Stadium Sunday as CMU sits eighth in the league standings, though just one game behind the Eagles and Western Michigan—who is visiting league-leading Kent State this weekend.

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Offenses Persist as Baseball Drops Game Two to Eastern Michigan, 9-7

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Team Stats

Aaron Piasecki

Brady Krzciok

Cole Kwiatkowski

Zach Knowlton

Players Mentioned

Rees Campanale

Alejandro Espinoza

Jared Hanson

Zach Knowlton

Quin Konuszewski

Brady Krzciok

Cole Kwiatkowski

Aaron Piasecki

Cole Prout

Cayden Smith