Baseball uses eight home runs to pass Bowling Green on Sunday
Watch the full game | Condensed highlights.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team hit eight home runs on Sunday, May 1, en route to a 19-4 win over Bowling Green on May 1. The eight bombs are tied for seventh. most homers in one game this season in the NCAA Division I ranks.
Senior Daniel Warkentin (Leamington, ON-Leamington (Parkland)) had a stellar performance at the plate on Sunday, hitting three home runs to help the Eagles pass the Falcons. The Leamington, Ont., native’s three bombshells are tied for third in a game this season as only Georgetown’s Ubaldo Lopez and Yale’s Jake Gehri have scored more in a game.
Junior Luke Russo (Howell, Mich.-Howell) (3-0) picked up the win for Eastern Michigan (19-25, 12-15 MAC). The right-hander went five shutout innings, allowing two hits, two walks and seven strikeouts.
Warkentin went 3-for-5 at the plate, completing his three homers with three RBIs. Senior Brady Huebbe (Peru, Ill.-La Salle-Peru (Northern Illinois)) added to Warkentin’s impressive power performance by going 3-for-4 with a double, two home runs and four RBIs. Senior Will Oberg (Wayzata, Minnesota-Wayzata) also contributed for the Eagles, going 3 for 4 with a double, a home run and three RBIs.
How did it happen
The Eagles started scoring early, putting a run on the board late in the first inning while the game was still scoreless. The Eastern Michigan offense produced a three-run outing that included homers from Warkentin and a freshman Aaron Dolney (Plymouth, Michigan-Detroit Country Day (Nebraska)).
The Falcons failed to push a run before the Eagles extended their lead in the third inning. Eastern Michigan hit two homers in the inning en route to pushing four runs. which took the Eagles to 7-0.
Eastern Michigan kept Bowling Green scoreless before building their lead to 15-0 in the fifth inning. The Eagles homered four times in the inning before scoring eight runs.
The Falcons fought back, closing the gap to 15-3 until Michigan East added some insurance in the sixth. The Eagles scored four runs in the inning, highlighted by a junior one-run double Matt Kirk (Milford, Ohio-Milford (Toledo)), bringing Eastern Michigan’s lead to 19-3. Bowling Green put a run on the scoreboard before the end of the game, but the Eagles still took the 19-4 victory.
Game Notes
Eastern’s eight home runs are a season high for the Eagles, surpassing the previous season’s high of six at Morehead State on March 5. Additionally, this is the third time this season that EMU has amassed five or more home runs in a contest (6 at Morehead State, March 5 and 5 vs. Akron, March 25). Prior to the 2022 campaign, the Eagles hadn’t hit five homers in a game since 2009, when Eastern threw six against Ohio on May 22.
Additionally, the eight home runs are the seventh by a team in an NCAA Division I contest this season. EMU is the fourth NCAA DI program to land eight deep shots.
The Eagles’ 19 runs are the best of the season. The last time the Eagles had 19 or more points was when the Greens and Whites scored 20 at St. Bonaventure on May 1, 2021.
Eastern Michigan’s highest scoring inning was the fifth when they gave up eight runs. The eight scores are the highest scoring the Eagles have seen in one inning this season.
The Eagles had a season-high 20 hits in the win. It’s the most hits recorded by Eastern since the Eagles totaled 23 in St. Bonaventure on May 1, 2021.
Five different Eagles homered on Sunday. It’s the second time this year that five EMU hitters have homered (at Morehead State, March 5).
Warkentin led the Eagles at the plate, going 3 for 5 with three home runs and three RBIs. His three home runs are a career high for the second baseman. Additionally, this is Warkentin’s third multi-home run game of the 2022 campaign.
Warkentin’s three long shots are tied for third in NCAA Division I this season. Additionally, Warkentin is the 37th player in the nation this season to total three homers in one game. Additionally, the second baseman is the first Eagle to go around the pillows three times in a game since the former Eagle. Jordan Peterson did so at NIU, May 14, 2017.
The Leamington, Ont., native now leads the Eagles and the Mid-American Conference with 14 homers this year. His 14 home runs are tied for ninth most in EMU history in a single season.
” Senior Taylor Hopkins (Mason, Ohio-Archbishop Moeller) scored his sixth homer of the season. With a pair of RBIs on Sunday, Hopkins now has 26 RBIs on the year.
Oberg had a career day for Eastern. The third baseman went 3 for 4 with three RBIs on a home run and a double. The round trip was Oberg’s first of the season. Additionally, his three hits and three RBIs are both career highs.
Huebbe drove in four runs for Eastern Michigan on two home runs and a brace. The pair of homers brings Huebbe’s total to nine this season. In addition, this is the second multi-home game of the season for the seniors.
Russo struck out seven Falcons batters for his third win of the season (3-0). As a staff, the Eastern Michigan pitchers limited Bowling Green to just 2 for 10 (.200) with runners in scoring position. The staff faced 34 Bowling Green batters in the game, allowing five ground balls and eight fly balls while striking out eight.
Historical Notes
Eastern’s eight home runs are the second highest in program history. EMU homered nine times against Bowling Green on April 8, 2009.
With three hits Sunday, Huebbe surpassed 100 career hits (51 hits at Northern Illinois). Huebbe joins his teammate Shane Easter (Kalamazoo, Michigan – Comstock) as the only two active Eagles to reach the 100 career hit mark.
With the victory, Eastern wins the series against the Falcons. EMU has now won 11 straight Bowling Green series, dating back to 2005.
Following
Eastern travels to Illinois to face Northern Illinois University in a four-game set, May 6-8. Friday’s first launch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. CT (4:00 p.m. ET).