After starting the season with 17 straight losses, the
Eastern Michigan University baseball team captured the
Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship with a
12-4 handling of the No. 1 seed Kent State University Golden
Flashes May 24.
The Eagles (25-32), the No. 2 tourney seed, hammered out
17 hits, including three home runs en route to their win
at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio.
 |
MAC CHAMPIONS: The Eastern Michigan University
baseball team hoists the Mid-American Conference
Tournament trophy they earned by winning four
games
in the tournament. They defeated Kent State
12-4
in the final game of the tourney and earned a
berth
in the NCAA Regionals. |
By virtue of their MAC Tournament title, the Eagles earned
a berth in the NCAA Regionals. The Eagles had won the MAC
West Division during the regular season.
After starting on the mound in the tournament opener against
Western Michigan, junior Sean Hoffman, coming off only
two days' rest, got the starting nod from first-year head
coach Jake Boss Jr. Hoffman (5-2) threw six innings, limiting
the Golden Flashes to nine hits and four runs while striking
out one.
"Sean Hoffman gave us a gutsy performance, coming
back on two days' rest to set the tone for the game early
on," said Boss, who, in his first year at the helm, was
named the MAC Coach of the Year. "I am proud of the way
the guys swung the bat offensively."
"I felt good. I was able to get through the first
five innings before it caught up to me," Hoffman said. "I
started to get tired and started leaving the ball up in
the sixth inning, but I am just glad that I was able to
help out in any way."
Senior Dan Puls entered the game at the start of the seventh,
shutting down the Kent State offense. Puls picked up his
second save of the tournament, not allowing a hit and striking
out three over the final nine outs.
The Green and White offense remained red hot in the championship
game with eight players recording at least one hit. Six
Eagles recorded multi-hit performances, led by Jeff Davis,
Kyle Rhoad and Zach Leonard, who each tallied three hits
on the day.
Leonard, voted the tournament MVP, put the Eagles up in
the top of the second with his team-leading ninth home
run of the year and second of the tournament. The true
freshman went 3-for-6 on the day with three RBIs and two
runs scored.
Kent State knotted the game at one off a Cory Hindel sacrifice
fly to right field, scoring Jared Bartholomew who had reached
on a single through the left side to start the inning.
After a scoreless third, senior Josh Ivan recorded his
200th career hit, a towering shot over the right-center
field wall, putting the Eagles back on top, 2-1. Ivan is
just the 11th Eagle player to tally 200 career hits and
joins teammates Steve Bradshaw and Jeff Davis, who each
joined the exclusive club earlier this season.
"It felt good to get the momentum back
on our side," Ivan said. "It feels good to put it
behind me and focus on our next game."
The Eagles' offense exploded over the following three
innings, putting up 10 runs to take a 12-4 advantage. A
five-run fifth was highlighted by senior Mike Boyd's second
home run in as many games, a three-run jack that towered
over the scoreboard in left field.
"I was just looking for a fastball and he [Porkoney]
pretty much gave it to me," Boyd said. "I was up in the
count and took a good cut. To have a chance to put us out
in front, and give Hoffman some room to work with, feels
great."
Kent State's Bartholomew and Jared Humphreys led off the
sixth with hits, putting the Flashes in scoring position
with no outs. With two on, Ben Klafczynski cut the deficit
to 8-4 with a three-run home run to right field.
The 8-4 margin was as close as Kent State would come,
as the Eagles scored four in the top half of the seventh
and never looked back. Puls cruised through the final three
innings.
In addition to the automatic tournament bid, four Eagles
— Ivan, Bradshaw, Hoffman and Tournament MVP Leonard — were
selected to the All-Tournament Team.
"It's an amazing feeling to be able to help the team
out in any way I can," Leonard said. "We hung together
throughout the tournament, with everyone chipping in when
we needed it."
"I'm just real proud of the way this team has come
together after a rough start," Boss said. "It is a true
testament to the leadership of the seniors. Their ability
to keep working hard and stay the course was contagious
throughout the season."
To get to the tournament's final game, EMU beat Central
Michigan 8-5 in the first round; Bowling Green State University
11-4 in the second round; and Ohio University 9-6 in the
semifinals.
The Eagles competed well, but came up short twice at the
NCAA Regionals at the University of Michigan. The Eagles
had leads in both games before falling 13-7 to the University
of Arizona and 4-2 to Kentucky.
