MOUNT PLEASANT - Central Michigan will enter the final day of the regular season in a tie for first place in the  Mid-American Conference following a 5-2 win over Eastern Michigan at Theunissen Stadium on Friday.

The Chippewas (32-20 overall, 19-7 MAC) are deadlocked with Ball State (28-26, 19-7 MAC) atop the conference  standings. A CMU win on Saturday coupled with a Ball State loss at Toledo would secure an outright MAC  championship for the Chippewas.

First pitch of CMU's regular season finale is set for 2:05 p.m. Saturday at Theunissen Stadium. The game will be  broadcast live through the CMU Sports Zone on cmuchippewas.com. The radio broadcast can be heard on WMHW-FM 91.5.

CMU scored three runs without a hit in the eighth inning to break a 2-2 tie in Friday's victory. Ricky Clark led off the eighth with a walk, and Eastern Michigan starter Corey Chaffins later walked Brendan Emmett and James Teas with two outs to load the bases. Chaffins was lifted after a first-pitch ball to Nate Theunissen, and reliever Robert Wendzicki pushed the count to 1-2 before hitting Theunissen in the back with a breaking ball. Clark scored from third to put the Chippewas in front 3-2.

Wendzicki was replaced by Tim Combs, who issued a walk to Dale Cornstubble that forced in Emmett and stretched CMU's lead to 4-2. Taylor Dimmerling replaced Combs, and Teas scored from third when a return throw from EMU catcher Andrew Marshall to Dimmerling sailed over the pitcher's head.

Trent Howard retired Eastern Michigan in order in the ninth to secure the win.

CMU manufactured a run in the second inning to take an early 1-0 lead. Cornstubble bunted for a hit down the third-base line, moved to second on a balk, advanced to third on a bunt single by Billy Anderson and scored on a Scott Phillion sacrifice fly.

The 1-0 lead held until the sixth, when Matt Faiman doubled to left and scored on a single by Emmett.

EMU tied the score with a pair of unearned runs in the top of the seventh, however. A throwing error put Eagles on second and third with one out and chased CMU starter Bryce Morrow. Aaron Crooks singled home both runners to even the score at 2-2.

Howard (4-3) worked 2-2/3 innings of relief to earn the victory. Chaffins fell to 4-6 with the loss.