Offense Aids Baseball To 19-15 Win Over Eastern Michigan To Sweep Series

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
MASSACHUSETTS	3	2	0	0	0	8	0	2	4	19	19	0
Eastern Michigan	0	5	1	1	0	5	1	0	2	15	15	0

MASSACHUSETTS

Eastern Michigan

YPSILANTI, Mich. – University of Massachusetts baseball earned its first Mid-American Conference series sweep after defeating Eastern Michigan, 19-15, on Sunday afternoon at Oestrike Stadium.

UMass improved to 9-18 overall on the season and 5-13 in the MAC, as Eastern Michigan moved to 10-24 overall and 5-32 in the league.

Braden Sullivan led the team with a career-high five hits, including a career-best two home runs. Sullivan added two RBI and a career-best five runs. His five runs scored matched a single game record. Gavin O'Brien registered a career-best four hits, which included a career-high two home runs, while posting a career-high eight RBI and two runs. Ty Fox and Jack Beverly totaled three hits apiece, with Fox scoring a career-best four runs and Beverly batting in a career-high six runs.

Massachusetts took an early 3-0 lead in the opening frame. With one out, Fox singled to right field, followed by a single from O'Brien. Reece McCarthy then singled through the left side as Fox slid into home to give UMass a 1-0 lead. A fielder's choice loaded the bases with the out at home, but Beverly recorded a single to left center field to bring home McCarthy and Sullivan.

The Minutemen pulled ahead, 5-0, in the top of the second. After one out, Anthony Tirado was walked. Fox then singled down the right field line to advance Tirado to third. Fox stole second, before O'Brien singled through left side as Tirado and Fox crossed the dish.

Eastern Michigan recorded a two-run home run to get on the board and make it a 5-2 game in the bottom of the second. A three-run homer for the Eagles in the inning tied up the game at 5-5. EMU broke the tie in the third with an RBI double to make it a 6-5 contest, before a sacrifice fly in the fourth pushed Eastern Michigan ahead, 7-5.

Sullivan started off the sixth inning with a solo homer, marking his third of the season, and brought UMass back within one at 7-6. After a ground-rule double by Matt Travisano, Beverly doubled down the left field line as Travisano came across the dish to knot up the game at 7-7. The Minutemen reclaimed the lead, 8-7, as Beverly scored on a bases loaded fielder's choice. With the bases loaded, O'Brien homered over the left center field wall for his first collegiate grand slam to give UMass a 12-7 lead. Sullivan recorded his second long ball of the inning to push Massachusetts ahead 13-7.

The Eagles tacked on two tuns with a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to make it a 13-9 game. A bases loaded walk for Eastern Michigan, and a sacrifice fly brought the score to 13-11. Another bases loaded walk put EMU back within one at 13-12.

In the seventh, Eastern Michigan scored on an RBI single to tie the game up once again at 13-13.

A wild pitch in the top of the eighth helped McCarthy cross home plate to give UMass the 14-13 lead. A sacrifice fly then allowed Sullivan to come home and pull Massachusetts ahead, 15-13.

The top of the ninth saw O'Brien register his second home run of the game, also scoring Fox. With two outs, Beverly singled down the right field line to drive home Sullivan and Travisano to push the Minutemen ahead, 19-13.

Eastern Michigan added two runs in the bottom half of the final frame, but UMass was able to hold off the Eagles and come out on top, 19-15.

Jack Niedringhaus (1-1) picked up his first win as a Minuteman after allowing one run on five hits, walking two and striking out two. Brandon Wingenroth earned his first career save after giving up no runs, no hits and no walks with no strikeouts in 0.1 innings.

Aidan Norris (0-1) had the loss, giving up two runs, one hit, a walk and no strikeouts in 0.1 innings.

Massachusetts looks ahead to the Beanpot Consolation game on Tuesday, April 14, as the Minutemen take on Harvard at 2 p.m. at the Harrington Athletics Village in Brighton, Massachusetts.

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