May 4, 2002
Box Score
Mid-American Conference Baseball Standings
Download Free Acrobat Reader
OXFORD, Ohio - This afternoon at McKie Field at Hayden Park the Miami University (23-22, 10-9 Mid-American) dropped both games of a doubleheader, 4-3 and 8-6, to conference rival Ohio University (19-22, 7-11 MAC). Right fielder Brian White led the parade for the Bobcats by blasting one home run in each of his team's victories.
Miami hurler Chris Leonard (Columbus, Ohio/St. Francis DeSales) squared off against OU's ace Walt Novosel in the first game, and what resulted was a true pitchers duel. Both pitchers kept their opponent's bats at bay throughout much of the game. Ohio tagged Leonard for one run in the second inning when Omari Briscoe singled through the left side to score Scott Brownlee. Brownlee was charged as an unearned run after he made his way to second base on a throwing error by Leonard.
Novosel worked six solid innings against the Red and White striking out three batters while allowing only one hit. The only blemishes to his line were three walks and one hit batter.
Two base on balls in the top of the seventh frame killed Leonard when White stepped to the dish. On an 0-2 count White ripped his third home run of the season over the center field wall to give his Bobcats a 4-0 advantage. Leonard finished the game with eight strikeouts in seven innings, recording his third complete game.
The RedHawks, however, mounted a comeback in the bottom of the seventh frame when Novosel walked juniors Mike Galloway (St. Thomas, Ontario/Central Michigan) and Michael Carlin (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon) to start off the inning. OU reliever Dan O'Rourke entered the game and dug in to face sophomore Ryan Edginton (Chester Springs, Pa./Arizona State). Edginton took the first pitch he saw and ripped it high in the air down the left-field line only to see hit pull foul. Three pitches later on a 1-2 count Edginton saw the same pitch again and this time smacked it over the left-field wall to bring Miami within one, 4-3. O'Rourke regrouped to strike out two of the next three RedHawk batters to notch his fourth save of the season.
The second game began in Miami's favor when freshman Sam Sellery (Carmel, Ind./Cathedral) drew a base on balls in the second inning to jump-start a RedHawk rally. Sellery raced around the diamond to score on a double by junior Andi Scheidt (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle), giving Miami a 1-0 lead. Scheidt crossed the plate one batter later when freshman Brian Canada (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) knocked an RBI single up the middle.
Miami added one more to its tally in the third stanza when Galloway recorded his 49th ribbie of the season. His 49 RBI move him into a tie for tenth on Miami's single-season record for ribbies. Scoring on Galloway's hit up the middle was junior Zach Schmidt (Cincinnati, Ohio/McNicholas) who knocked his third triple of the season right before Galloway in the lineup.
Senior southpaw Russ Bayer (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) blanked the Bobcats over the first four innings, but was tagged for one run in the fifth frame. White narrowed the deficit to 3-1 with his second home run of the day, a solo shot off Bayer to left field.
The Red and White tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fifth stanza to up its lead to 5-1. Junior David Cook (Columbus, Ohio/St. Francis DeSales), whose hitting streak stands at a Miami best 11 games, hit an infield single to third base to put things in motion. Following Cook was Schmidt with a single through the left side. Both Cook and Schmidt advanced one base when Galloway grounded out to second base for the first out. Controversy ensued on the next batter when OU hurler Chris Bova attempted a pick off maneuver on Cook at third base and was called for a balk. After 15 minutes of debating on the field between Ohio skipper Joe Carbone and the umpiring crew Carlin finished his at-bat by being plunked by a pitch. Miami increased its advantage to 5-1 count when Edginton plated Schmidt with an infield single to third base.
Threatening to play the game under protest Ohio regrouped in the sixth inning with three runs to make it a one-run ballgame, 5-4. Knocking in two of the Bobcats' runs in the sixth was Brownlee who rocketed a 2-0 pitch over the center-field wall. OU's third run came on an RBI double off the bat of second baseman Tony Gandee.
After surviving his scare in the sixth frame Bayer preserved Miami's 5-4 lead by tossing two more scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively. Senior Billy Kieninger (Xenia, Ohio/Xenia) entered the duel in the final inning to close for the RedHawks. Kieninger received an unkind greeting from Ohio when pinch hitter Brandon Wheeler led off with a single through the left side. After getting a force out at second base Kieninger walked OU slugger Mike Arbinger to put men on first and second. The Bobcats tied the game at 5-5 when Adam Fox hit an RBI single up the middle. Already with one round-tripper in the game Brownlee walked to the plate and delivered a crushing blow to Miami with a three-run blast to center field giving Ohio its first lead 8-5.
Needing to put together a last-inning rally for the second straight game Miami looked like it might be on its way when Cook ripped a one-out single to third base. He moved all the way around to third base on a throwing error by Bova, and crossed the plate on an RBI single by Galloway. The RedHawks never got any closer as Bova retired the next two-of-four batters without allowing a run to get the 8-6 victory. The win improves Bova's record to 3-2 while Kieninger drops to 3-4.
The RedHawks and Ohio wrap up the series tomorrow, May 5, at 1 p.m.
