Miami University
Buffalo
RedHawks Make It An Interesting 7-6 Win At Buffalo
4/17/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 17, 2004
BUFFALO, N.Y. - The Miami (22-11, 6-1 Mid-American Conference) baseball team continued its winning ways on Saturday afternoon with a close 7-6 win on the road against MAC-foe Buffalo (7-22, 1-6 MAC). An insurance run in the top of the ninth inning turned out to be the game-winner as the Bulls' ninth-inning comeback fell one run short of their first win against the RedHawks.
Junior Paul Frietch (Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller) led off the second inning with a home run and then watched the RedHawks take a 2-0 lead in the third inning on a sacrifice fly by junior Sam Sellery (Carmel, Ind./Cathedral). However, Buffalo matched Miami's offense in the bottom half of the third frame on an RBI triple by Andrew Wengert.
The Bulls managed to draw even with the Red and White in the fourth inning, 2-2, when one of Miami's three fielding mishaps resulted in a run. Designated hitter Chris McGraw reached base on a fielding error and later scored in the inning to charge freshman hurler Jeff Day (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota East) with an unearned run.
A two-run double by UB's Brian Zelasko in the sixth inning gave the Bulls their first lead of the game, 4-2. Zelasko plated both James Kingsley and Phil VanHorne who had reached base via a fielder's choice and single, respectively, earlier in the inning.
With Day still pitching well on the mound despite giving up four runs, the RedHawks supplied their starter with four big runs in the top of the seventh inning to regain the lead, 6-4. Junior John Slone (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier) smacked an RBI double to get things rolling and scored a run of his own on an RBI double by Sellery. Frietch stepped to the plate with Sellery in scoring position and recorded his second RBI of the contest and then scored on Miami's next at-bat when junior Brian Canada (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) launched a double to deep left-center field.
Day blanked the Bulls in the bottom of the seventh inning and was relieved by senior Chad Reineke (Defiance, Ohio/Ayersville) in the eighth inning with one out. Reineke closed out the eighth inning with a 6-4 Miami lead and his third save of the season in sight.
Back-to-back doubles by Sellery and Frietch in the top of the ninth inning gave the RedHawks an insurance run and brought the lead to three, 7-4. The RBI double by Frietch turned out to be pivotal as Reineke allowed the first two Bulls' batters in the ninth inning to hit singles. A fly out and then a base on balls loaded bases with only one out as another Miami error allowed Buffalo to score two runs. Still up by one, 7-6, Reineke struck out the final two batters of the game to guarantee the win for Miami and collect his third save.
The win keeps Miami in first place of the MAC East Division with a 6-1 record, only one game in front of Akron, which is 5-2 after defeating Kent State twice this weekend. The RedHawks attempt to finish off the sweep tomorrow afternoon, April 18, at 1 p.m., at Buffalo's Audubon Field.
