CM Life Player of the Week: Freshman Taylor Lehnert comes up clutch as baseball wins finale at Toledo
Coming into the baseball team’s series against Toledo, head coach Steve Jaksa wasn’t sure who was going to start the final two games of the series.
As it turned out, senior Rick Dodridge started for the Chippewas in their 4-3 loss in game one of a doubleheader Sunday afternoon.
However, it was freshman Taylor Lehnert, who started for CMU.
The 6-foot-4 right-hander from Schererville, Ind., made his fourth start of the season against Toledo and improved his record to 2-2 and his ERA to 4.62.
Lehnert allowed just one earned run and four hits while striking out four batters over six and one-third innings. In the first two games of the series, the Rockets had piled up 17 hits and 15 runs.
The performance was crucial in allowing the Chippewas to salvage the final game of their series at Scott Park.
Lehnert made the start in place of senior Pat Kaminska, who has been in and out of the rotation this season due to injury and ineffective pitching. Before Sunday’s start, he had appeared in eight games and had an ERA of 5.33 in 27 innings pitched.
Lehnert had another quality outing earlier in the season in the first match-up against rival Michigan State, when he went six innings, allowing just three hits and two earned runs, but ultimately received the loss.
He earned his first win against Bethune-Cookman when he went five innings, allowing four hits and just one run.
Lehnert has worked primarily in middle relief for the Chippewas this season, but starts like Sunday's might force Jaksa to leave the freshman in the weekend rotation.
The Chippewas return to action Tuesday when they host Davenport University at Theunissen Stadium on Tuesday before in-state rival Eastern Michigan comes to town for a three-game series beginning Friday at 3:05 p.m.
