Miami University
Florida
RedHawks Nearly Take Another From No. 20 Florida
2/21/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 21, 2004
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Game two of its three-game series at No. 20 Florida (5-3) turned out to be a pitcher's duel for the Miami (1-1) baseball team as it fell one-run short, 4-3, in its first loss of the season. Junior Sam Sellery (Carmel, Ind./Cathedral) knocked in a run in the final inning to bring the RedHawks within one run of the Gators before UF hurler Connor Falkenbach escaped the rally for his second win of the season.
The RedHawks struck first for the second day in a row when they broke a scoreless tie in the sixth inning on an RBI double by junior Tyler Tabler (Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller). The hero from the night before, junior Paul Frietch (Montgomery, Ohio/Moeller) reached base on a walk, and then was ushered home on Tabler's shot to left-center field to give Miami a 1-0 lead.
Sophomore hurler Graham Taylor (Villa Hills, Ky./Dixie Heights) started for the RedHawks on the mound and tossed 5.1 innings, allowing only two runs on eight hits that he scattered on 85 pitches. Time and time again Taylor got out of trouble, with the help of a near-flawless Miami defense, as last year's Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year left the RedHawks in the sixth inning down one run, 2-1.
Facing a 1-0 deficit, the Red and White rallied back to a 2-2 tie on another RBI hit by Tabler in the eighth frame. With one out in the inning, junior John Slone (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier) ripped a single to centerfield to get the ball rolling. Slone moved over to second on a fielding error by Florida's second basemen and then Tabler came to the plate. On an 0-1 count with runners on second and first, Tabler artfully hit a single through the right side to plate Slone.
Florida wasted little time in retaliating when it matched the RedHawks' tally with two runs of its own in the bottom of the eighth inning to regain the lead, 4-2. Freshman pitchers Jeff Day (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota East) and Keith Weiser (Hamilton, Ohio/Talawanda) almost got out of the inning unscathed, but an RBI single by pinch hitter Stephen Barton and Brian Jeroloman's RBI double was all the offense the Gators needed to score the two runs.
Already in his third inning of relief for UF starter Steven Porter, Falkenbach came back in the ninth inning to close out the game. Falkenback got the Miami leadoff batter to fly out to centerfield, but junior Brian Canada (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) threatened the righty with a double to rightfield. Two batters later Sellery plated Canada with an RBI single to cut the gap to one, 4-3. A high chopper by sophomore Jason Brown (Fairfield, Ohio/Fairfield) resulted in an infield hit for the RedHawks, and put men at the corners with 2003 MAC Second Team selection, Slone, coming to the plate. Slone battled, but a 2-2 pitch by Falkenbach led to a routine ground out to seal the 4-3 victory for the Gators.
Falkenbach tossed 3.1 frames of relief en route to his second victory of the season, striking out two Miami batters along the way and walking none. Suffering the loss for the RedHawks on the mound was Day who finished with one unfortunate run allowed in two innings of work.
Miami and Florida finish off the three-game series tomorrow afternoon, Feb. 22, with a 1 p.m. start at McKethan Stadium.
