March 26, 2006
Box Score
TOLEDO, Ohio - Sophomore John Ely (Homewood, Ill.) struck out 12 in seven strong innings and the Miami University baseball team (8-10; 1-2 MAC) pounded out 14 hits as it took the final game of a three-game series from Toledo, 11-6. In a back-and-forth game that featured two ties and four lead changes, Miami scored the go-ahead run in the eighth inning on a sacrifice fly from freshman Chris Nadeau (Saline, Mich.) and tacked on four insurance runs in the ninth as it won its first Mid-American Conference game of the season.
The middle of the batting order propelled Miami to its first MAC win as the 2-3-4-5 hitters went a combined 10-for-19. Senior cleanup hitter John Franzese (Barrington, Ill.) and freshman five-hole hitter Jordan Petraitis (Canal Fulton, Ohio) each collected three hits, while Petraitis paced the RedHawks with three RBI, including his third home run of the season. On the mound, Ely (3-1) battled through four Miami errors to pick up the win, scattering seven hits and allowing three earned runs.
The game got off to a rocky start for Miami as three first-inning errors led to a pair of unearned runs. The first two batters in the frame reached on fielding errors, and following a strikeout, another RedHawk error and a RBI single gave Toledo a 2-0 lead. The damage could have been worse as a two-out blooper with runners at second and third was headed for no man's land behind shortstop, but junior leftfielder Ryne Robinson (Toledo, Ohio) made a diving catch to end the inning.
The RedHawks responded with a pair of runs in the top of the second as they tied the game at 2-2. Franzese led off the inning with a line-drive double down the rightfield line, and Petraitis promptly drove him in with a RBI double to right centerfield. Petraitis was then balked to third before senior Eric Radley (Hermitage, Tenn.) plated him with a run-scoring groundout to the shortstop.
Miami went ahead, 3-2, in the top of the third as it mounted a two-out scoring rally. After a pair of quick outs to open the frame, senior Jason Brown (Fairfield, Ohio) doubled to the leftfield gap. Senior Geoff Orr (Orland Park, Ill.) followed by slapping the 0-1 pitch to leftfield, with Brown beating the throw home.
Toledo regained the lead in the bottom of the third with a two-out, two-run home run from Jason Watson.
Miami took advantage of two Toledo fielding errors in the top of the fourth as it surged ahead, 5-4. Petraitis was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, and after a foul pop out, back-to-back errors by Toledo third baseman Scott Boley tied the game. Freshman Eric Darlage (Powell, Ohio) then put the RedHawks in front with his first career double down the rightfield line, plating Miami's second run of the inning. The RBI was the second of Darlege's career.
Franzese put Miami up, 6-4, on a RBI single in the top of fifth. After Brown led off the inning with a chopping single over the third baseman's head, he was moved to second on a groundout. Franzese followed by lacing a single down past a diving Toledo third baseman, scoring Brown from second.
Another Miami fielding error in the bottom of the sixth helped Toledo plate an unearned run and move within one. After hitting a batter with one out, an error on a double play ball, followed by a sacrifice fly, made the score 6-5.
Toledo then knotted the game at 6-6 in the bottom of the seventh as the Rockets notched three consecutive singles with two outs. Watson's single back through the middle tied the game for the second time.
Miami regained the lead, 7-6, in the eighth on a sacrifice fly from pinch hitter Nadeau. After sophomore Evan Armitage (Milford, Ohio) led off the inning with a pinch-hit walk, a sacrifice bunt and an infield single from Robinson moved Armitage to third. Nadeau then followed by lifting a long fly ball to centerfield on the first pitch he saw, plating the go-ahead run. The sacrifice fly gave Nadeau his first RBI in a RedHawk uniform.
Petraitis added a pair of insurance runs for Miami in the top of the ninth on an opposite-field two-run home run. The round-tripper was his second in as many days and gave him his team-leading 14th and 15th RBIs. Petraitis' shot to rightfield also plated Franzese, who walked with one out. Miami then tacked on two more runs on an infield single from Brown and a Toledo fielding error, moving its advantage to 11-6.
Junior Jeff Day (West Chester, Ohio) tossed scoreless eighth and ninth innings to secure the win for Miami.
Miami resumes non-conference action March 28 at Xavier. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m. at Hayden Field.
GAME NOTES: FR Chris Nadeau notched his first career RBI with his eighth-inning sacrifice fly ... FR Eric Darlege tallied his first career double and second career RBI with his fourth-inning, run-scoring double ... With a home run and three RBI, FR Jordan Petraitis moved into the team lead with 15 RBI and is tied for the team lead with three home runs.
