SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Zach Heeke batted 3 for 5 and drove in four runs and Central Michigan pulled away with five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to beat Connecticut 14-9 in the South Bend Regional in an elimination game.
Heeke hit a home run and scored twice, Zach Gilles had four bunt singles to drive in a pair of runs and scored three times and Mario Camilletti added a homer and drove in two for the Chippewas (42-17).
Central Michigan starting pitcher Garrett Navarra sprayed nine hits across five innings allowing five earned runs. Navarra aided his own cause coming up with a pair of hits including a homer.
Chase Rollin’s lead-off homer in the seventh marked the beginning of an inning in which CMU sent 10 batters to the plate. The Chippewas batted .452 in a 19-for-42 effort.
Reggie Crawford went 3 for 5 with four RBI and two homers for the UConn (34-19).