UChicago Edges Out Emory 10-7 for Series Win
The University of Chicago baseball team earned a gritty win over Emory University in the third game of the series on Saturday afternoon. After a back-and-forth battle through the first six innings, the Maroons pulled out the 10-7 win in the final four frames of the game.
Emory opened up the scoring in the first with a 2-0 lead heading into the bottom of the inning. The Maroons quickly responded as Erik Ridner homered to left field to put UChicago on the scoreboard.
In the top of the third, the Eagles capitalized on an RBI single and an RBI double to push their lead to three runs. Once again, the Maroons quickly responded to make it 4-2 as Nathan Bae slammed a double to right center field and brought home Michael Gladden to cut the Emory lead to two.
Russell Kwinter forced the Eagles to strand four on base throughout the next two innings as UChicago tied the game in the bottom of the fifth.
As Gladden reached on an error, Bae shot a homer to left field to make it a tie game with four innings left to play.
The Eagles shortly regained the lead in the fifth, but the Maroons tied it once again. Jack Sharp doubled to get in scoring position for the Maroons. Braden Jirovec hit an RBI groundout as Sharp ran home and tied the game at five.
In the top of the seventh, Grant Tenuta retired all three batters he faced to hold the Eagles. In the bottom, the Maroons took the lead and never looked back. Ryan Bhojwani and Gladden scored on a Max Wiesner RBI single to take a 7-5 lead. As Jonah Obitz walked and Wiesner on second, the Eagles recorded back-to-back wild pitches, bringing the sophomore first-baseman home to make the score 8-5.
Emory caught a bit of momentum, making it a one-score game in the top of the eighth, but UChicago extended its lead as Brady Miller and Bae scored on two RBI doubles to put the Maroons back up by two.
In the final inning, David Flanagan sealed the win for the Maroons as the senior struckout two of the three batters he faced in the final frame.
Bae and Wiesner lead the offense with three hits apiece and seven combined RBIs, while Gladded recorded two hits and three runs in his five at-bats.
Tenuta recorded the win for UChicago, now sitting 2-2 on the season. Flanagan was credited with his first save of the year and a stellar ninth-inning performance.