East Michigan News

The Eastern Michigan University baseball team faced a narrow defeat against the University of Toledo Rockets, with a final score of 10-9 in an extra innings game at Scott Park on Friday, May 3. The game saw several lead changes and ended with Toledo scoring the decisive run in the 10th inning through a sacrifice fly.

Eastern Michigan began strong, scoring first with a two-out RBI double by junior Giano Zuccaro. Although they lost their initial lead, they managed to tie the game at 3-3 in the fifth inning thanks to senior Glenn Miller's RBI triple. The Eagles then surged ahead to an 8-3 lead in the sixth inning, highlighted by sophomore Drew Jones' two-run single.

Despite their efforts, Eastern Michigan surrendered their lead but managed to level the score again at 9-9 in the ninth inning when senior Cole Wilcox scored. However, Toledo clinched victory with a run in the tenth.

Drew Jones had a notable performance with two hits and a career-high three RBIs. "Jones had two hits and a career-high three RBI in the contest to lead the Eagles' offense," stated EMUEagles.com. Glenn Miller also contributed significantly with three hits and two RBIs.

Zuccaro achieved his 16th multi-hit game this season, while Blake McRae recorded two hits and one RBI, extending his hitting streak to six games. Bobby Jones provided valuable relief pitching for Eastern Michigan by retiring 13 consecutive batters during his stint.

This was Eastern Michigan's second extra-innings game of the season; they previously defeated Kent State University on April 6. Despite Friday's loss, they maintain a positive record of five wins out of nine one-run games this season.

The historical rivalry between Eastern Michigan and Toledo continued with this being their 174th encounter. After this result, Eastern holds a record of 101 wins against Toledo's 73.

Cory Taylor added another hit to his tally during Friday’s game, bringing him closer to reaching 100 career hits—a milestone achieved by only two other Eagles this season.

The teams are set to meet again for game two of their series on Saturday, May 4 at Scott Park.

For updates on EMU Baseball, fans can follow their social media channels including EMU_Baseball on X (formerly Twitter), emu.baseball on Instagram, and emu.baseball on TikTok.