Miami Baseball Wins First Game of MAC Tournament
5/17/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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| Nate Tekavec |
KENT, Ohio (May 17)--Using four double plays and solid pitching, fifth-seeded Miami University defeated second-seeded Central Michigan 7-3 Wednesday afternoon at Gene Michael Field in Kent, Ohio, in the first round of the 2000 Mid-American Conference Baseball Tournament.
Junior right-hander Nate Tekavec (Concord, Ohio/Riverside) earned the victory for Miami (36-21), throwing a complete game while giving up three runs on eight hits. Tekavec (9-5) struck out two Chippewas and allowed two walks.
"You have to give Nate credit," Central Michigan head coach Judd Folske said. "From the fourth inning on, he held our guys in check."
The four double plays by the RedHawks ties a MAC Tournament record set by Central Michigan versus Kent in 1998.
"To win, things have to go your way," Miami head coach Tracy Smith said. "Those things could have been the double-play balls."
Miami scored a single run in the first inning when senior Bobby Barnes (Sarasota, Fla./Sarasota) singled, then advanced to third on a failed pick-off attempt. Barnes scored on a groundout by junior Jeremy Ison (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson).
Central Michigan (40-16) scored two runs in the bottom half of the inning. A double by left fielder Keith Uzarski was followed by a single off the bat of center fielder Matt Crowley. Right fielder Jake Sanborn grounded out to third to drive in Uzarski, followed by designated hitter Mike Galloway's single to drive in Crowley.
In the second inning, Miami regained the lead on an RBI single by junior Tom Yost (London, Ohio/Jonathan Alder) and a run-scoring double play by junior Brady Nori (Middletown, Ohio/Middletown).
Uzarski's fifth home run of the season in the third tied the game at three.
Ison led off the RedHawk half of the sixth with a double. Junior John Lackaff's (Downers Grove, Ill./North) seeing-eye single scored Ison for his 62nd RBI of the 2000 campaign, tying the Miami single-season record. A bases-loaded walk to Nori scored Lackaff to make the score 5-3. A passed ball allowed senior Joe Spain (Warren, Ohio/Howland) to score, giving the Red and White a 6-3 advantage. Miami added a run in the seventh as Spain doubled to left, scoring Lackaff.
Miami continues MAC Tournament action versus No. 4 Ohio on May 18 at 4 p.m.
