East Michigan News

Eastern Michigan University's baseball team secured a decisive 17-3 victory over Western Michigan University in their Mid-American Conference series finale on March 15 at Robert J. Bobb Stadium. This win marked Eastern's second consecutive MAC series win, bringing their conference record to 5-1 for the first time since 2008.

Head Coach Robbie Brittera commented on the achievement, stating that this was the first run-rule victory of the season and the fourth during his tenure. "The win continued Eastern's strong start to MAC play," said Brittera.

Offensively, Eastern set several season highs, including runs (17), hits (17), RBI (16), home runs (four), and batting average (.459). Brendan Kleiman led the team's offense with four hits and three RBIs. "Kleiman tied career highs with four hits and two doubles," noted the report.

Pitcher Bobby Jones earned his first win of the season after allowing only two earned runs over 5.2 innings. He was relieved by Jack Topolski and later Emmett Gillies, who made his EMU debut to close out the game.

The Eagles dominated early in the game with Devan Zirwas hitting a solo home run in the first inning. They extended their lead with six more runs in the third inning, capped by Cooper Vance driving in two runners.

The Eagles added seven more runs in a subsequent inning, highlighted by John Hale's grand slam which increased their lead to 11-1. The team scored an additional three runs in the sixth inning through solo homers from Logan Hugo and Bruce Jellison.

Following this victory, Eastern Michigan improved its overall record to 9-8 while Western Michigan fell to 1-16. The Eagles are currently ranked fourth in MAC standings.

The team is preparing for its upcoming home series against Miami RedHawks at Oestrike Stadium from March 21-23, with all games available on ESPN+.