Michigan State University
Central Michigan
Baseball Falls In Extra Innings to CMU, 9-8
5/12/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 12, 2009
MT. PLEASANT, Mich. - In a game with six ties and seven lead changes, it was only fitting that it was decided in extra innings. However, it was Central Michigan that scored last, downing the Michigan State baseball team, 9-8, in 10 innings on Tuesday (May 12) afternoon in Mt. Pleasant.
With the game tied at seven in the top of the 10th, Spartan pinch hitter Ben Vrobel was hit by a pitch with two outs and then Brandon Eckerle, who went 3-for-4 on the day, singled up the middle to move Vrobel into scoring position at third base. Eli Boike followed with a shot up the middle that scored Vrobel and gave MSU the lead, 8-7.
In the bottom of the 10th, walks loaded the bases for the Chippewas and with one out, Tyler Kipke singled to drive in the game's final two runs and give CMU the win.
The two teams traded solo runs in the first and third innings and with MSU leading 3-2 in the fourth, courtesy of a sacrifice fly by Jonathan Roof, CMU registered the first multi-run inning of the game to take their first lead 4-3.
In the fifth, Seth Williams tied the game for MSU at four with a monster shot to straight away center field that easily cleared the 400-foot fence.
After Central again took a one-run lead in the bottom of the fifth, the Spartans got their first multi-run inning of the day in the top of the sixth - scoring three times to take their largest lead of the day, 7-5. Jonathan Roof hit his first home run of the season for the first run of the inning to tie the game and Eckerle drove in Jeff Holm to give the Spartans their first lead since the third inning. With two outs, an error by CMU first baseman Nate Theunissen on a ball hit by Boike extended the inning and allowed Eckerle to score.
Central Michigan got an RBI single from Scott Phillion in the sixth to pull the Chippewas within one and with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Kipke singled and tied the game at seven.
The Spartans will have a quick turnaround, playing their final series of the season starting this Thursday (May 14) against the Indiana Hoosiers in Bloomington, Ind. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
