May 11, 2003

Box Score

AKRON, Ohio - With one more Mid-American Conference series remaining in the season next weekend against Akron, the Miami University (30-21-1, 16-8 MAC) baseball team dropped its third game of the weekend to Kent State (30-16, 16-4 MAC), 13-9, by allowing eight runs in the final three innings. Senior Michael Carlin (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon) hit two home runs in a losing cause for the RedHawks to tie his single-season record of 19 home runs.

The RedHawks opened the contest with a quick three-run first inning to take a 3-0 lead. Sophomore Tyler Tabler (Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller) hit his second home run of the season batting in the two-hole for the RedHawks, which was followed by a single to left field by sophomore Mike Ferris (Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain). Ferris rounded the bases quickly on Miami's next at-bat when senior Michael Carlin (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon) blasted his 18th home run of the season over the center field wall.

The 3-0 lead held for only a matter of minutes as the Golden Flashes retaliated in the bottom of the frame with four runs to take a 4-3 lead. Kent State crossed the plate four times in the frame, but only needed two hits as freshman Jason Friedman (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young) hit two batters and allowed one free pass to the Golden Flashes. An error on the RedHawks' shortstop extended the inning for KSU as two of the four runs were unearned.

Senior Zach Schmidt (Cincinnati, Ohio/McNicholas) got his eighth hit of the series, a single, to lead off the second inning for Miami. Running on the play, Schmidt advanced over to third base on a single to left-center field by senior David Cook (Columbus, Ohio/St. Francis DeSales). Cook stole second to get out of the double play, which allowed for Tabler to hit into an RBI ground out that scored Schmidt, tying the game at 4-4.

Miami scored for the third straight frame when two runs came home in the third to take a 6-4 lead. Sophomore Paul Frietch (Montgomery, Ohio/Moeller) led off with a single through the right side and moved over to third on a double by sophomore John Slone (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier). A wild pitch by Kent State starter Pat Frank would score Frietch, and then sophomore Brian Canada (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) led Slone home with an RBI single through the left side.

KSU's Adam Crowder hit an opposite-field home run in the bottom of the third inning to cut Miami's lead to one, 6-5. Two walks and a single later the Golden Flashes had loaded the bases, forcing Miami to relieve Friedman in favor of hard-throwing junior Chad Reineke (Defiance, Ohio/Ayersville). Reineke got out of the inning needing only three pitches to force Chad Kinyon into an inning-ending fly ball to left field.

Three more Miami runs were scored in the top of the fourth inning to give it a 9-5 advantage. Tabler stretched a single into a double with one out to put himself in scoring position for Ferris, who took care of business with an RBI single through the right side. Already with one home run in the game, Carlin hit a soft liner over the leftfield wall to bring two more runs home. The roundtripper, his 19th of the season, ties his own single-season Miami record.

KSU's Crowder belted his second home run of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning to cut the Miami lead to two runs, 9-7. Pat O'Brien hit a double down the rightfield line to put a man on base for Crowder to bring home with the roundtripper. Crowder did it again in the bottom of the seventh inning when he belted a three-run home run to centerfield to give Kent State a 10-9 lead, its first lead since the first inning. A two-run home run by Matt Sege upped Kent State's advantage to 12-9 before sophomore Brad Bachman (Harrison, Ohio/Harrison) was able to get out of the five-run frame.

Chad Kinyon added another run to the Golden Flashes' cause in the bottom of the eighth inning when he hit a solo shot to center field. The run gave Kent State a 13-9 lead entering Miami's final three outs in the top of the ninth.

Kent State held on for the victory and takes a commanding lead in the MAC East Division standings, as well as a stranglehold in the right to host the MAC Tournament. Miami wraps up the regular season next weekend, May 16-18, as it hosts Akron at McKie Field at Hayden Park.