Marshall Baseball Recap
By Rhys Owens, FM88 Sports
March 13, 2025
HUNTINGTON, W. Va. (WMUL-FM) — The Marshall Baseball Team found itself out on the diamond during some lovely weather mid-week. The Herd (9-6) took on the Central Michigan Chippewas (2-13) in its eighth and ninth home contest of the year. Marshall split the two-game series with a 11-5 win in game one and a 12-11 loss in game two.
Game one was hot from the start and saw the Herd ring off four runs in the bottom of the first. Runs by Marshall’s Cam Harthan and Maika Niu gave the Herd a two-run lead before Elijah Vogelsong hit a home run deep to right center field allowing himself and AJ Havrilla to score.
The Herd’s lead quickly evaporated as the Chippewas rattled off five runs at the top of the second inning, including a walk with the bases loaded.
Central Michigan’s luck ran out after a scoreless third inning, Marshall went on to take over the game beginning with a Harthan single with the bases loaded for one RBI in the bottom of the fourth. The Herd went on to fit back-to-back homers in the fifth with an Ethan Murdoch inside the park homer for two RBIs, as well as Vogelsong’s second homer of the day with a solo shot.
The Herd continued scoring into the eighth when Niu hit a solo moonshot deep to left field for Marshall’s 11th run of the game.
The bullpen was stellar in game one, Marshall pitchers Blaine Albright and Charlie Krebs spent two innings on the mound and finished with 0.00 ERAs, giving up just a single hit, respectively. Additionally, Krebs earned a win over Chippewa pitcher Liam Stumpf.
Game two was much different for the Herd as it went in a 2-0 hole at the top of the first inning. The Chippewas continued to pile on in the top of the second when catcher Aydin Wright hit a homer to right field, giving CMU a 3-1 lead.
The Herd refused to give in as Havrilla scored Niu on a double to left center. The next at bat, Vogelsong scored Havrilla when a single to right field resulted in a fielding error making the score 3-3.
The Chippewas came out firing in the fourth and fifth, scoring runs in both innings, including a run by Bryson Webb on a balk. However, Marshall came firing back in the bottom of the sixth, scoring on a Harthan single and taking a 7-6 lead on an Eddie Leon single to left field.
The lead, however, did not stay for long as CMU scored six runs in the top of the eighth to take a commanding 12-7 lead. The Herd kept fans’ hopes alive in the ninth as Jackson Halter homered to right field, scoring Leon and pulling Marshall closer at 12-10.
Despite a valiant effort and a Harthan single to left that scored Nolan Wilson making it 12-11, the Herd fell to the Chippewas. Marshall’s bullpen struggled in game two, giving up 14 hits in the game. A hot pitching staff was bound to cool eventually, and the Thundering Herd will look to bounce back when conference play begins.
The Herd opens Sun Belt Conference play on Friday against the Arkansas State Red Wolves in Jonesboro. The Red Wolves are currently on a four-game win streak, including a 4-2 a win over Memphis. The series will surely be tough for the Herd and will present a chance for valuable conference wins.