University of Toledo
EASTERN MICHIGAN
Baseball: Toledo Drops 5-3 Decision to Eastern Michigan
4/19/2002 12:00:00 PM | Baseball
TOLEDO, OH - Toledo (9-20, 2-7 MAC) fell to Eastern Michigan (18-17, 10-3 MAC) today in the opener of a four-game series at Scott Park.
The Rockets attempted to rally by scoring single runs in the seventh and ninth innings but came up short.
Sophomore C Mitch Maier (3-for-4, 1 run, 1 RBI) led the way for UT offensively to extend his hitting streak to 11 games. Other Rockets registering multiple-hit outings were junior 2B Taylor Eckel (2-for-5), sophomore CF Sean Dobson (2-for-4) and sophomore SS Chris Arvay (2-for-4, 1 run).
Eastern Michigan got things rolling early as the Eagles scored in the first inning on a ground-out, fielders choice.
The visitors pushed their lead to 2-0 in the third on Brian Bixler's sixth round-tripper of the season off UT starter J.R. Duffey.
The Rockets fought back to cut the lead in half in the fourth on junior DH Roger Hernandez's first career home run.
Not to be denied, the Eagles mounted another attack with single runs in the fifth and sixth to make the score, 4-1. The highlight of the scores for the MAC's West Division co-leader was a home run by Brent Olivier to lead off the sixth.
Refusing to quit the Rockets went deep again in the seventh as Maier blasted his team-leading 10th home run of the season.
EMU scored its final run in the top of the ninth off UT reliefer Matt Harris, before the Rockets came to the plate ready for a dog-fight down to the wire.
After EMU's Ryan Ford registered the first two outs, Arvay doubled down the line to put a UT runner in scoring position. Maier then singled through the left-side to advance Arvay to third, but a misplay by the EMU left fielder allowed him to score and Maier to move to second base and bring up Eckel, the tying run to the plate. Ford left a pitch up over the outer edge of the plate to the left-handed Eckel, which he drove deep to left, but EMU's Todd Kimling made the catch at the warning track for the game's final out.
Eastern Michigan's Ford (6-2) earned the victory with a complete-game effort, scattering 10 hits while fanning seven.
Duffey (1-2) was tagged with the loss allowing four runs (three earned) on nine hits in five innings of work.
The two teams square off again tomorrow at Scott Park in a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m. The series finale will take place on Sunday, April 21 at 2:00 p.m.
