MAC Bats: May 10-12

Ball State 4, Ohio 2 (Game 1)

Ball State 5, Ohio 0 (Game 2)

Ball State 6, Ohio 5 (Game 3)

The Cardinals (33-17, 17-5 MAC) swept the Bobcats (16-30, 10-13 MAC) this weekend to stay a game back of the MAC lead heading into the final weekend of the MAC’s regular season. Noah Powell delivered a three-run double in the first game to help power the Cards to a win, while John Baker and Lukas Jaksich combined for a no-hitter in the second game. Aaron Simpson helped BSU complete the sweep in the final game as he went 2-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Ball State finished the regular season with a home stand against Toledo this weekend while Ohio hosts Marshall on Tuesday.

Central Michigan 11, Eastern Michigan 1 (Game 1)

Central Michigan 3, Eastern Michigan 1 (Game 2)

Central Michigan 8, Eastern Michigan 7 (Game 3)

The hottest team in the MAC continued to roll as the Chippewas (39-12, 19-5 MAC) extended their winning streak to 11 games with a series sweep of the Eagles (11-40-1, 6-18 MAC). Jacob Crum and Zachary Warren pummeled pitches in the first game with three RBIs each while Cameron Brown got the win in the second game with five hits allowed in seven innings pitched. Zach Heeke came through for the Chips in the final game as he went 4-4 with two doubles, three RBIs, and a run scored. CMU hosts Michigan State on Tuesday as EMU hosts Kent State to close out the regular season.

Kent State 18, Bowling Green 9 (Game 1)

Kent State 4, Bowling Green 3 (Game 2)

Bowling Green 6, Kent State 2 (Game 3)

Speaking of the Flashes (27-21, 14-8 MAC), they took a series victory over the Falcons (15-32, 7-17 MAC) to put themselves in a fairly comfortable spot with the MAC Tournament looming. Michael Turner led the offensive onslaught in game one with four hits and six RBIs, as John Matthews pitched dominant baseball with six strikeouts and one hit allowed in the final 4.2 innings. However, BG avoided the sweep with R.J. Williams delivering a two-RBI single in the third game to put the Falcons ahead for good. Kent State hosts Wright State on Tuesday while Bowling Green hits the road to take on Northern Illinois this weekend.

Miami 6, Western Michigan 4 (Game 1)

Western Michigan 6, Miami 3 (Game 2)

Miami 5, Western Michigan 0 (Game 3)

The RedHawks (36-14, 15-8 MAC) lost their momentum in recent weeks, but a series win over a competent Broncos squad (17-29, 10-12 MAC) should lift their spirits prior to postseason play. Jordan Stephens supplied three RBIs in the first game for the Miami win, but Brady Miller led WMU to victory in the following game with six hits and one earned run allowed in six innings of work. In the series-deciding game, Jack Corbell pitched outstanding baseball for the ‘Hawks as he went eight innings with four hits allowed while Andy Almquist finished the shutout with no hits allowed int the ninth inning. Miami heads north to square off against Central Michigan in a series with seeding implications for the MAC Tournament, while WMU closes out the regular season at Ohio this weekend.

Toledo 5, Northern Illinois 4 (Game 1)

Northern Illinois 3, Toledo 2 (Game 2)

Northern Illinois 4, Toledo 0 (Game 3)

The Huskies are playing good baseball at the right time as a sweep over the Rockets gives them a MAC record of over .500. The first game saw Jamie Myers deliver three RBIs (including a home run) to give the Rockets the victory. However, NIU exacted revenge in the following games as Malik Peters drove in runs in the seventh and ninth innings to tie the series as Erik Hedmark went eight innings with eight strikeouts and six hits allowed in the third game to win the series. NIU hits the road to take on Milwaukee Tuesday as Toledo hosts IPFW that day.