April 29, 2005
Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio - The Miami University RedHawks (27-12, 8-2 MAC) won a season-high seventh consecutive game on Friday afternoon, knocking off the University of Toledo Rockets (12-27, 2-9 MAC), 8-4, in game one of a three-game Mid-American Conference series. Miami banged out just nine hits in the game but took advantage of two Toledo errors to stay atop the MAC East division. With the victory, head coach Tracy Smith now needs just one more win to become the third coach in Miami baseball history to reach the 300-win plateau.
Senior Paul Frietch's (Cincinnati, Ohio) team-leading eighth home run of the season staked Miami to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second. The solo shot, a long drive to centerfield, came on the first offering from righthander Nick Szczur.
Toledo got that run back in the top half of the third inning. With runners on first and second, a sharply hit groundball to second eluded a diving Geoff Orr (Orland Park, Ill.) and allowed the runner from second to cross the plate.
The RedHawks went in front 4-1 in the home half of the fourth inning on a two-run single by Orr and an RBI groundout by junior Eric Radley (Hermitage, Tenn.). After seniors John Slone (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Brian Canada (Fishers, Ind.) hit consecutive singles to lead off the inning, Frietch laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt, advancing the runners and setting the stage for Orr to drive in his 34th and 35th runs of the season. Miami then loaded the bases with one out when Radley plated the RedHawks' fourth run.
After Frietch made it 5-1 in the bottom of the fifth with a sacrifice fly to center that scored sophomore Brandon Hillier (Hinsdale, Ill.) from third, Orr drove in his third run of the game with a triple to right centerfield, making the score 6-1 for the Red and White.
The Rockets cut Miami's lead to 6-3 in the top of the sixth with a pair of runs off Miami starting pitcher Keith Weiser (Hamilton, Ohio). Weiser was relieved by sophomore Jeff Day (West Chester, Ohio) in the top of the seventh inning after tossing 6.0 innings and giving up three runs on six hits while striking out two.
Day gave way to junior lefthander Sam Shorts (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) with two outs and runners on first and second in the top of the eighth inning. Shorts proceeded to strikeout the lone batter he faced in the inning, thwarting the Toledo rally. Day allowed just two hits and fanned two Rockets in his 1.2 innings of work.
Freshman Evan Armitage (Milford, Ohio) chased Szczur from the game in the bottom of the eighth with a run-scoring single to right that made it 7-3 for Miami. Sophomore Ryne Robinson (Toledo, Ohio) gave the RedHawks a five-run advantage with a bases loaded single to left that scored Orr from third base.
Toledo scored a run in the top of the ninth off Miami's closer, freshman Connor Graham (Bowling Green, Ohio), but that is as close as the Rockets would get as Graham induced the game's final batter to groundout to second.
Weiser picked up the victory, moving his record to a perfect 6-0 on the year while Szczur took the loss, dropping to 4-5 on the season.
Orr had a monster day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three runs batted in and two runs scored.
The RedHawks and Rockets take the field for game two of the series on Saturday at 1 p.m. Junior lefthander Graham Taylor (Villa Hills, Ky.) is slated to start on the mound for Miami.
