Trailing one of the top teams in the Mid-American Conference by four runs, entering the bottom of the 12th inning with their season and a trip to the MAC tournament hanging in the balance, Eastern Michigan University’s baseball team stepped up to the plate when it mattered most.
Cooper Vance’s walk-off two-run homer completed the Eagles’ astonishing five-run comeback in extra innings, securing a 12-11 victory for the home team over Kent State. This win puts Eastern Michigan in the sixth and final conference tournament spot with just two games remaining.
The Eagles found themselves on the ropes multiple times over the course of regulation with Kent State holding a 4-1 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, the green and white having failed to score since the second frame.
However, a Bruce Jellison pop fly that scored Logan Hugo in the sixth inning was enough to reignite what had been a red-hot Eastern Michigan offense over the past four games.
Four additional runs followed in the bottom of the seventh to give the Eagles their first lead of the day 6-4. Then, despite the Golden Flashes cutting the deficit to one in the top of the eighth, John Hale responded with a solo home run of his own to push the home team’s lead back to two entering the final inning of regulation.
Sensing his season was hanging in the balance, head coach Robbie Britt called upon standout starting pitcher Tyler Kapa to close the game in the top of the ninth.
Kapa recorded the first two outs without issue but surrendered a two-run home run shortly thereafter that tied the game for Kent State 7-7 and sent the match to extra innings.
A scoreless 10th and 11th innings gave way to an avalanche of runs in the 12th, four of them coming from the Golden Flashes in the top of the inning that allowed the road team to extend their lead out to 11-7.
Having won five straight games and eight of their last nine, it was easy to assume the team fighting for the No. 1 seed in next week’s conference tournament had just put the finishing touches on their sixth straight win.
But Eastern Michigan’s offense had other plans.
With their backs against the wall in the bottom of the 12th, Harrison Travis got the scoring started with a solo home run that cut the home team’s deficit to three.
Lucas Johnson’s single coupled with an error from the usually infallible Kent State allowed Devan Zirwas to score, making the score 11-9 and a comeback much more likely.
A subsequent groundout from John Hale that scored Ty Stecko cut the Eagles’ deficit to one, setting the stage for Cooper Vance to take the plate with Lucas Johnson already on base.
Vance’s deep shot to left field scored both, completing the improbable four-run comeback and enabling Eastern Michigan to begin the final series of the regular season with a mark already in the win column.
The Eagles improved their record to 20-26 (12-16 MAC) on the campaign while Kent State fell to 35-16 (21-7 MAC). With losses from in-state foes Central and Western Michigan on the same day, the green and white now hold sole possession of the final spot in the season-ending conference tournament.
The battle is not over for Eastern Michigan just yet, however.
The Eagles return to action tomorrow afternoon for game two of their series against Kent State, needing a win and losses from Central and Western Michigan again to officially clinch their spot in postseason play. Viewers can catch all the action live on ESPN+ starting at 2 p.m.
