Baseball sweeps EMU
The Battle for Washtenaw County was a great one for Michigan this year.
After coming back from a 4-0 hole and winning 6-4 in the 8th last night at Ray Fisher Stadium, Michigan made the short drive to EMU to face them in the second game of the season series.
There would be no drama this time.
The game was scoreless until the 5th, when Michigan did major damage.
Brock Keener, hero of last night, drove in Miles Lewis for the first Michigan run. Two sac bunts brought Keener home to make it 2-0, and then Dom Clementi blasted a 2-run homer to make it 4-0 Michigan. Freshman Blake Nelson then hit a 2 run double, followed by a Miles Lewis RBI single to make it 7-0.
The Wolverines adding 3 more runs just an inning later in the 6th on three consecutive RBI doubles by Jordan Nwogu, Dom Clementi and Jonathan Engelmann. 10-0 Michigan.
EMU added 2 runs in the 6th & 7th innings and 1 in the 8th, but Michigan ended any bleak hopes of an EMU comeback with two runs in the Top of the 9th on a RBI groundout and a passed ball.
Michigan beats EMU, 12-5 at Oestrike Stadium and sweps the series.
Michigan has won 8 straight in the rivalry, their best run since the Middaugh teams of the late 80s who won 12 straight.
Michigan resumes B1G play in a weekend series at Rutgers starting on Friday at 3pm.
Wait, this is a rivalry?
From 1975 to 1985, the teams played 3 times in the regional final for a trip to the College World Series. Under their coach Ron Oestrike, EMU was the only program in the Big Ten footprint that was remotely as good as Michigan during that time period.
And yes, it was a rivalry. I'm not sure it has been one in the last 30 years, but it used to be one.
Oh yes....Bob Welch, Pat Sheridan, Chris Hoiles....quite a few MLB players of varied levels of notoriety came out of that program at the time, if I remember correctly. Eastern Michigan baseball was not to be trifled with for quite some time.
In 1976, EMU finished second in the nation, losing a winner-take-all national championship game to Arizona. They are the last cold weather team to play in the national championship game. Here's the crazy part: their entire team was from the State of Michigan. About 80 percent were from Wayne County.
If you ever again get a team playing for the NCAA baseball championship today with over half the team from a single county, and the entire team from a single state, that county & state certainly would not be Wayne County, Michigan.
I think that also speaks to the relative strength of the UM football team during the same time period. I bet the quality of in-state recruits was much higher vs the rest of the nation than it is now. The population loss in this area has really changed the recruiting dynamic.
if you had asked me to guess the last cold weather team to play the championship, it might've taken me a few hours to get to EMU
Oregon State is not considred cold-weather?
Oregon State plays home games in February. Eastern Michigan does not, and can not.
I think the big story from this game was the fact that Alec Rennard got his first start in exactly 2 months.
Rennard was the #1 pitcher for the first three weeks of the season, but left the Stanford game on March 2 with an injury. He had a couple of relief appearances in late April, but it looks like Rennard is going to be back in the starting rotation in time for the Big Ten tournament, when pitching is the name of the game--you need to play 4-6 games in 5 days to get a Big Ten tournament win.
Rennard gave up 3 hits and 0 walks, striking out 2 in 4 innings. He was pulled after 4 to save his arm in case he is needed for a possible long relief appearance this weekend. After Vancena's less-than-encouraging start Tuesday, it's comforting to know that Michigan has 4 quality starters heading into tournament season.
Concordia!!!!
We want WCCC!
I showed up for the game and it was 0-0 in the 4th. I'd like to think I'm personally responsible for the offensive explosion.
Not to be confused with the offensive explosion I had after lunch in the restroom.
if I should really be excited about beating EMU. . . and came away delighted with all the great historic tidbits assembled here. Thanks.