Baseball Earns a Pair of Victories Over Miami Sunday

GAME 1 | Eastern Michigan 3, Miami 1

GAME 2 | Eastern Michigan 14, Miami 10

OXFORD, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) —The Eastern Michigan University baseball team picked up a pair of wins on Sunday afternoon, defeating Miami University twice in a doubleheader at McKie FIeld.

The Eagles (12-16, 8-7 MAC) took game one by a score of 3-1, and finished off the day with a 14-10 victory in game two.

In addition to his 11 strikeouts, freshman Adam Falinski (Howell, Mich.-Detroit Catholic Central) (3-2) earned a complete-game victory in game one, going seven innings, giving up one run on six hits and walking two for Eastern Michigan.

In the batter’s box, the Eagles were led by senior Daniel Warkentin (Leamington, Ontario-Leamington District (Parkland)), who went 1-for-4 on the day with a home run and two RBIs. Fellow senior Brady Huebbe (Peru, Ill.-La Salle-Peru (Northern Illinois)) put together a noteworthy effort as well, going 1-for-3 with a home run and an RBI in game one.

In game two, junior Frankie Volkers (Maple Grove, Minn.-Maple Grove (North Iowa)) (1-1) picked up the victory out of the bullpen for Eastern Michigan. The right-hander went 1.1 innings, giving up three runs, all of them earned, on three hits, allowing two walks and striking out three. Freshman Dom Anderson also made an impact on the mound for the Eagles, throwing 2.1 scoreless innings while allowing two hits, with no walks and three strikeouts.

At the plate, the Eagles were led by freshman Logan Hugo (Essexville, Mich.-Essexville Garber), who went 2-for-4 on the day with a home run, two walks and five RBIs. Warkentin furnished a standout effort as well, going 4-for-4 with a double, a home run and three RBI. Sophomore Glenn Miller (Pentwater, Mich.-Pentwater (Spring Arbor)) also chipped in for EMU, putting together three hits in four trips to the plate while adding a walk and two RBIs.

How It Happened – Game 1

The Eagles got on the scoreboard first, starting in the fourth inning. Huebbe put Eastern Michigan on the board with a one-out solo home run off sophomore T. Ronevich.

The Eagles then held the RedHawks scoreless before getting back on the board the very next inning. Eastern Michigan scored twice on Warkentin’s two-run homer, which brought the score to 3-0 in favor of the Eagles. Miami put one run on the scoreboard before the game was over, but Eastern Michigan still held on for the 3-1 win. 38 66 18 14 3

Game Notes – Game 1

» Falinski struck out 11 RedHawks hitters and put together seven innings of one-run ball for the Eagles. It is Falinski’s third complete-game effort of the season, a team-high for the freshman.

» Falinski faced 28 Miami hitters in the game, allowing five ground balls and four fly balls while striking out 11. The right-hander limited the RedHawks to just 1-for-5 (.200) with runners in scoring position.

» Eastern struck out 11 Miami batters which is tied for the season-high in strikeouts by the Green and White staff.

» Eastern Michigan’s highest scoring inning was the fifth, when it pushed two runs across.

»  Warkentin led the Eagles at the plate, belting a two-run homer in the fifth inning. The round-tripper is the eighth of the year for Warkentin, tied for a team-high. Additionally, it is the sixth time this season the second baseman has tabbed multiple RBIs in a contest.

» Huebbe added a home run as well, belting a solo shot in the fourth inning. The homer was Huebbe’s third of the 2022 campaign and his 20th RBI of the season.

How It Happened – Game 2

The Eagles were trailing 1-0 in the third inning when they first put runs on the board. Eastern Michigan got an RBI single from Hugo, scoring Warkentin from second base.

The RedHawks broke the tie and re-took the lead heading into the fourth inning, when the Eagles got back on the scoreboard. The Eastern Michigan offense exploded for four runs, highlighted by a three-run home run off the bat of Warkentin, which brought the Eagles lead to 5-4.

Eastern Michigan kept Miami scoreless before building their lead to 6-4 in the sixth inning.

Eastern Michigan surrendered the lead they built in the sixth, but got back on the scoreboard in the seventh trailing 7-6. The Eagles scored seven runs in the inning, highlighted by a grand slam off the bat of Hugo, bringing the score to 13-7 in favor of Eastern Michigan.

Miami got within 13-10 until the Eagles scored again in the eighth inning to stretch its lead to 14-10. Senior Eli Gora (Cincinnati, Ohio-Anderson) came across to score the lone run of the inning for Eastern Michigan and get them on the board. The score remained 14-10 for the rest of the game, as the Eagles coasted to the win.

Game Notes – Game 2

» Eastern scored 14 runs in the second contest. The 14 runs is tied for the third highest mark of the season for EMU

» Five different Eagles tabbed multiple hits in the victory. Additionally, four different Eagles earned multiple RBIs. The last time four-or-more Eagles tallied multiple RBIs in a game came in a 20-5 victory over St. Bonaventure, May 1, 2021.

» Hugo had a career day finishing with five RBIs on two hits including a grand slam in the seventh inning. The four-run homer was the first of Hugo’s collegiate career. Moreover, it was the first grand slam hit by an Eagle since teammate Shane Easter (Kalamazoo, Mich.-Comstock) recorded a grand slam in a victory over Austin Peay, Feb. 15, 2020.

» Warkentin racked up four hits for Eastern, including a three-run home run in the fourth inning. The round-tripper is Warkentin’s ninth of the 2022 campaign, a mark that leads the Eagles.

» Miller totaled a season-high three hits and two RBIs. It is Miller’s first mutli-hit game of the season and his second multi-RBI performance of the 2022 campaign.

» Despite not earning a hit, senior Taylor Hopkins (Mason, Ohio-Archbishop Moeller) tallied two RBIs and a walk. It is Hopkins’ sixth multi-RBI game of the season.

» Eastern Michigan’s highest scoring inning was the seventh, when it pushed seven runs across. Additionally, the seven scores is the highest in an inning this season. Moreover, it is the 12th time this season the Eagles have tallied four runs-or-more in a half inning.

» Five Eagles had multiple hits in the ballgame and Eastern totaled 14 hits in the victory. The 14 base knocks is tied for the third highest output of the 2022 season. Furthermore, EMU went 6-for-19 (.316) with runners in scoring position.

».Eastern struck out 11 Miami batters which is tied for the season-high in strikeouts by the Green and White staff.

» The Eagles drew nine walks from Miami pitching. That mark is the second-highest for EMU in free passes on the year.

Up Next

Eastern will look to secure the series win over Miami in the series finale, Monday, April 11. First pitch at McKie Field is set for noon.