May 12, 2004

Box Score

DAYTON, Ohio - Wednesday night at Wright State marked a first this season for the Miami (29-17) baseball team as it dropped its first contest of the season to one of its four local rivals, 8-4. The loss ends a four-game winning streak against the Raiders (20-29) for the Red and White dating back to 2002.

Small ball helped Wright State score its first run in the second inning, but then a two-run double by Jake Chalupa gave the Raiders a 3-0 lead. The Raiders knocked sophomore Sam Shorts (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard East) with four straight hits to score the three runs.

A leadoff single by freshman Ryne Robinson (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic) opened the third inning for the RedHawks. Robinson proceeded to steal second for his 12 theft of the year and then advanced to third on a fly out. Helping Robinson cross the plate for Miami's first run, 3-1, was junior John Slone (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier) who beat out an infield single to short. Not only did Slone's single drive in a run, but also extended his hitting streak to a Mid-American Conference best 23 games.

Junior Paul Frietch (Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller) helped Miami narrow the gap to one, 3-2, by hitting a one-out triple to right-center field in the fourth inning. Another ground out RBI, this time by sophomore Geoff Orr (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg), plated Frietch to make it a one-run game.

The Red and White evened the score, 3-3, in the fifth inning when Slone drew a two-out walk to get things started. On Miami's very next at-bat, junior Mike Ferris (Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain) launched a triple off the rightfield wall to score Slone. Miami added another run in the sixth inning to take its first lead of the game, 4-3, on an RBI single by sophomore Jason Brown (Fairfield, Ohio/Fairfield).

Wright State regained the lead, 6-4, in the bottom of the seventh inning on a three-run home run by designated hitter Bryan Vickers. Vickers hit his team-leading 15th home run of the season after the first WSU batters reached safely to open the frame.

Two insurance runs were scored by the Raiders in the eighth inning to make it a four-run game, 8-4. A suicide squeeze bunt with the bases loaded and one out resulted in not one, but two runs after a Miami error allowed the second run to cross the plate.

Miami returns to MAC action this weekend, May 14-16, when it host a crucial conference series against Northern Illinois.