March 29, 2006
Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio - The Miami University baseball team banged out 13 hits on Wednesday night but it was a bunt in the bottom of the 11th inning that sealed a 4-3 win over Cincinnati in the first ever night game at McKie Field at Hayden Park. The RedHawks improved to 9-11 while the Bearcats dropped to 13-10 on the year.
An RBI groundout by sophomore Chris Niro (Walton Hills, Ohio) staked Miami to a 1-0 lead in the bottom half of the second inning. Freshman Jordan Petraitis (Canal Fulton, Ohio) led off the inning with a single to left and advanced to third on a hit-and-run single by senior Will Reynolds (Brownsburg, Ind.) before Niro broke the scoreless tie.
The RedHawks settled for one run in the third inning after loading the bases with no outs to take a 2-0 lead. The first three batters of the inning reached base, but only junior Ryne Robinson (Toledo, Ohio) crossed the plate as senior Jon Franzese (Barrington, Ill.) rolled into a double play and Petraitis grounded out to third to end the threat.
Cincinnati responed with three runs of Miami starter Connor Graham (Bowling Green, Ohio) in the top of the fifth inning. The first four batters of the inning reached base as UC plated the first run on a single to right before a pair of sacrifice flies gave the Bearcats their first lead of the game.
Niro brought the RedHawks back even with the Bearcats with an RBI single to left that made the score 3-3. Senior Will Reynolds (Brownsburg, Ind.) walked with one out and reached second on a wild pitch before Niro chased Nick Buscemi from this game with his second hit of the night.
After 7.0 innings, Graham was lifted in favor of sophomore Bobby Oberschlake, (Felicity, Ohio), who proceeded to retired the Bearcats in orde, who proceeded to retired the Bearcats in order, including a pair of strikeouts. Graham allowed three runs on six hits while fanning a career high eight batters.
Oberschlake allowed a pair of Bearcats to reach base in the top of the ninth before being relieved by senior Matt Long (Granville, Ohio) with one out in the frame. Long thwarted the UC scoring threat as he fanned the next two batters to end the inning.
Miami threatened in the home half of the 10th but couldn't push the winning run across as the Bearcats cut down Hillier as he tried to steal home on the back end of a double steal.
Pinch hitting for Reynolds, senior Jason Brown (Fairfield, Ohio) led off the 11th with a single to right and moved up to third on Niro's third single of the game. With the infield drawn in, senior shortstop Eric Radley (Hermitage, Tenn.) dropped down a perfect squeeze bunt that allowed Brown to waltz home with the winning run.
Long earned the win, his first of the year, after tossing 2.2 hitless innings and striking out five of the nine batters he faced. Jack Nelson was tagged with the loss as he threw the games final two-thirds of an inning.
Miami returns to Mid-American Conference action on the weekend with a three-game series in Muncie, Ind., versus Ball State on March 31-April 2.
NOTES: FR Connor Graham set career highs with eight strikeouts and six walks ... SO Chris Niro registered the first multi-hit game of his career going 3-for-5 ... SR Matt Long struck out the side in the 10th on nine pitches ... JR Brandon Hillier went 4-for-4.
