East Michigan News

The Eastern Michigan University baseball team faced a challenging game against the University of Notre Dame, ending in a 12-10 loss at Frank Eck Baseball Stadium. Despite a strong ninth-inning rally, the Eagles were unable to overcome their Atlantic Coast Conference opponent.

Logan Hugo led Eastern Michigan's offense, achieving three hits out of five at-bats, hitting his tenth home run of the season, and contributing three runs and three RBIs. Freshman pitcher Cal Rutherford delivered an impressive performance from the bullpen with a scoreless outing over 2.2 innings.

Colin Milligan started for Eastern but was tagged with the loss, marking his third career start. Xavier Hirsch secured the win for Notre Dame, while Tobey McDonough earned a save.

Eastern Michigan took an early lead in the first inning with Devan Zirwas driving in Logan Hugo. However, Notre Dame quickly responded with three runs in their half of the inning and added more throughout the game to extend their lead.

Despite efforts from players like Drew Jones and Giano Zuccaro contributing to a comeback attempt, Notre Dame managed to maintain their advantage by scoring six runs in the sixth inning. Brendan Kleiman's pinch-hit two-run homer highlighted Eastern's ninth-inning rally but was not enough to change the outcome.

The game featured notable performances from several Eagles players. Zirwas achieved his team-high 19th multi-hit game and contributed two RBIs. Hugo's performance included tying his career-best ten home runs set last season. The team recorded double-digit hits for the 26th time this season.

With this non-conference match behind them, Eastern Michigan now focuses on their upcoming series against Kent State Golden Flashes as they aim for a MAC Tournament berth.