Baseball Falls Short in MAC Opener at Miami
Leading 5-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Miami scored six runs to put the game out of reach.
Junior right-hander John Carmichael (Destrehan, La./Destrehan/McLennan C.C.) (0-3) got the start and went five innings. He allowed three runs, all earned, off six hits while striking out one and walking three. Miami’s Zac Sohosky started for the RedHawks and earned the win (2-0).
How it Happened
Eastern Michigan found itself in a tight contest early, as Nick Weaver (Streamwood, Ill./Streamwood/Elgin C.C.) delivered his first career home run in the top of the third, pulling the Eagles even at 1-1. Miami answered quickly in the fourth with a two-run outburst.
The RedHawks extended their lead with a two-run double in the sixth, then broke the game wide open with a six-run seventh.
The Eagles managed to push across single runs in the seventh and eighth, including an RBI triple from TJ Williams (Racine, Wis./Racine Horlick/Kansas) and a run scored from Nathan Borchardt (Stanley, N.C./East Lincoln/King) on a passed ball, but the deficit proved insurmountable.
Miami tacked on two runs in the eighth to end the game via the 10-run rule with a final score of 13-3.
Game Notes
» Eastern’s record went to 4-10 (0-1 MAC) and Miami’s improved to 9-4 (1-0 MAC).
» Nick Weaver homered for the first time in his NCAA Division I career. He has one hit in consecutive games for the first time this season. Weaver singled to center field in the seventh for his first two-hit game of the campaign. Weaver also set a new season high with two runs scored
» John Carmichael started on the mound for the fourth time this season, going five innings for the third time. He allowed three runs, all earned, off six hits while striking out one and walking three. His outing marked the second where he allowed three runs or less after allowing two earned runs in five innings of work at Austin Peay, Feb. 20.
» Ty Stecko (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin/Mount St. Mary’s) and Nathan Borchardt each had two-hit days, marking the third of the season for Stecko and second for Borchardt. Stecko’s 13 hits on the season lead the team as he reached base for the 13th-consecutive game, the longest streak from an Eagle this season.
» TJ Williams extended his hitting streak to six straight games with an RBI triple to right-center field. It was his first extra-base hit of the year, 12th hit overall, and fifth RBI. Williams’ 12 knocks are the second most on the team.
» TJ Williams stole his sixth base of the season, a figure that leads the team and ranks fifth in the MAC by value. He has stolen one base in three consecutive games and four of his last five.
» Eastern didn’t commit an error for the second-consecutive game for the second time this season. It previously did so against Austin Peay, Feb. 20-21.
Historical Notes
» Eastern began its 54th year of MAC play and holds a 29-25 record in MAC openers. It lost the MAC opener for the first time since the 2022 season.
» Eastern and Miami met for the 137th time. The Eagles hold a 65-72 all-time record when facing the RedHawks and a 6-22 mark when facing them in Oxford since 1999.
Up Next
The Eagles continue their MAC-opening series against Miami Saturday, March 7, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.
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