Eastern Sweeps Buffalo With an Extra-Inning Win

Sunday, March 27

1 pm

7-14, 0-3

Eastern Michigan

15-8, 3-0

BUFFALO

Eastern Michigan

Eastern Sweeps Buffalo With an Extra-Inning Win

3/27/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

YPSILANTI, MI - After a frustrating weekend in which the team scored only three runs in the first two games, Buffalo managed to get out to an early lead Sunday in the final of three games against Eastern Michigan. The Eagles scored a walk-off single in the tenth inning, though, to pull off the sweep, 6-5.

After getting only two hits during the first three innings, Buffalo found its groove in the middle innings. Entering the fourth inning down 2-0, two errors by the Eagles helped push across three runs on only one hit for the Bulls. Tom Murphy walked to lead off and moved to second on a wild pitch. On an error by the first baseman, River McWilliams reached first and Murphy made it to third. Jordan Camp capitalized with an RBI single to get the team its first run.

A sacrifice bunt put McWilliams on third and Camp on second, and small ball worked again thanks to a sacrifice fly by Andrew Smietana. The final run of the inning was scored on another error by the defense, as a throw by the third baseman off a hit from Jason Kanzler was off, scoring Camp. The 3-2 lead was the first lead of the weekend for Buffalo, and it would be extended in the very next inning.

In the fifth, Alex Baldock hit a one-out double which was followed by Tom Murphy, who reached after getting hit by a pitch. McWilliams hit a shot back up the heart of the infield that scored Baldock and Camp came through again with a single right after that pushed across Murphy.

The team was unable to score after that, though, and Eastern Michigan made its late run. In the eighth inning and the score still 5-2, the Eagles banged out four hits and three runs off of Jeff Thompson, who relieved Cameron Copping at the beginning of the inning.

The late push by Eastern ruined a terrific effort from starter Copping, who put together one of his best efforts as a Bull to give the team a chance. The junior college transfer threw seven innings and gave up only one earned run on four hits while striking out three. Reliever Kevin Hughes was given the hard-luck loss but helped move the game to extra innings by getting out of a jam in the ninth inning. With runners on first and second with only one out, Hughes got a fly out and ground out to give the offense another shot in the tenth.

A leadoff walk and a sacrifice bunt put the Bulls against the wall in the bottom of the tenth, and a single with two outs gave the home team a dramatic comeback win.

With the three-game sweep, Buffalo now sits at 7-14 (0-3 MAC). The team will have a mid-week game at Little Three rival Canisius Wednesday at 3 pm before finally coming back to campus for the home opener against Northern Illinois.