April 1, 2003
Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio - Over the last three days the Miami University (11-12-1) baseball team has scored 45 runs in two games, a mark it reached this afternoon at Hayden Park at McKie Field with a 23-10 victory over Wright State University (7-13). The RedHawks knocked 20 hits and five home runs, while the Raiders helped them out by committing nine errors in the contest.
Wright State jumped all over the RedHawks in the first frame scoring three runs on three hits. With one out Trent Matthews hit a single to center field, and rounded the bases on the next at-bat when Pat Masters ripped an RBI double to right-center. The next two runs were scored when Bryan Vickers homered over the leftfield wall.
A combination of three hits and three errors in the bottom half of the first helped the RedHawks rally with a four-run inning to take a 4-3 lead. An error and a base on balls put to RedHawks on base for sophomore Mike Ferris (Cincinnati, Ohio/Kentucky), who did the rest with a towering home run to center field. Sophomore Tyler Tabler (Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller) singled to center field and reached second on an error by the center fielder, and then crossed the plate on an RBI single by sophomore Sam Sellery (Carmel, Ind./Cathedral).
With a strong wind blowing out to all fields, Wright State came back in the second inning with three more runs to retake the lead, 6-4. Chris Coleman started the inning with a one-out solo home run to left field. Centerfielder Chris Tuttle kept the inning alive with a single to center field and reached second on an error. Matthews took advantage of the strong breeze with a lazy fly ball to left field that managed to find its way over the fence, giving the Raiders a 6-4 lead.
The Red and White regained the lead for good in the third frame when they crossed the plate three times to take a 7-6 advantage. After the first three batters reached to load the bases, Sellery hit into a fielder's choice scoring Ferris from third. Freshman Geoff Orr (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg) ripped an RBI single to center field to score Carlin. The final run of the stanza crossed the plate when senior Zach Schmidt (Cincinnati, Ohio/McNicholas) hit a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Sellery.
The route was on for the RedHawks as Ferris hit his second home run of the game in the fourth inning, a roundtripper of the solo nature. Senior George Stegmiller (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) singled in the fifth inning and was brought home on an RBI single by senior David Cook (Columbus, Ohio/St. Francis DeSales) to give Miami a 9-6 lead.
The Raiders chipped away at Miami's lead in the sixth inning with two runs off reliever freshman Jason Friedman (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young). After Friedman gave up a leadoff walk, Ryan Zenn singled through the right side to put men on the corners. Friedman battled the next two batters and got two outs, but Ty Brown's double to center field scored both runners.
Holding on to a 9-8 lead, the Red and White put together another strong inning in the sixth with four runs. Sophomore John Slone (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier) led off with a single to up his hitting streak to 11 games, and Ferris followed with his third extra-base hit of the game, a double, to move Slone to third base. Tabler recorded an RBI single with a shot through the left side and Sellery cleaned the bases with a three-run home run to center field. The home run was Sellery's first of the season and gave the RedHawks a 13-8 advantage.
Wright State scored twice more in the seventh stanza on a two-run dinger by Masters, but never got any closer than 13-10 as the Red and White scored 10 more times in the final two innings. Junior hurler Michael Gardner (Louisville, Ky./Louisville) notched his fourth save by shutting down the Raiders over the final three innings, and thus preserving Friedman's first career victory on the mound.
The six-run seventh inning commenced with a leadoff triple by Schmidt, his first of the season, which was followed by an RBI single by Cook. After another Wright State error, the RedHawks had men on the corners and Ferris singled home his fifth RBI of the game. Slone swept third base, his eighth steal of the season, only to set up a three-run bomb for senior Michael Carlin (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon). Carlin has now hit a home run in four straight games, the second time this season he has accomplished the fete. Freshman Jason Brown (Fairfield, Ohio/Fairfield) hit a pinch-hit double down the left-field line, but was caught at home one batter later when he was attempting to score from second. Sellery stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by the catcher. The final run of the frame came home, Sellery, on an RBI ground out by Orr.
The scoring was not through for the RedHawks as four more runs came across the dish in the eighth inning. This time the runs were all courtesy of one swing of the bat by Brown, who not only hit his first career home run but it was also one of the grand slam variety. The grand slam is only the second for Miami this season.
In addition to Ferris plating five runners in the win, Sellery also knocked in five runs for his first career five-RBI game. The last time the RedHawks scored 45 runs in two consecutive games was surprisingly enough only two years ago when they defeated Akron, 18-13 and 27-9, on May 5-6, 2001.
The RedHawks seek a continuance in their offensive prowess this weekend as they travel to Arizona on April 4-6 for a three-game series. The Wildcats are currently ranked 21st in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper NCAA Division I baseball poll. Game times are set for 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and a 1 p.m. first pitch on the Sunday contest.
