April 15, 2007
Box Score
DeKALB, Ill.--A three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning sunk Miami University's baseball team as the RedHawks fell 8-5 at Northern Illinois University on Sunday afternoon to cap a three-game Mid-American Conference series with the Huskies. Miami dropped to 18-12 overall and 7-3 in league action, while the Huskies improved to 20-11 overall and 9-3 in MAC play.
After a defensive battle the over the first three and a half innings where neither team was able to score, the offense began to pick up in the later stages of the game. A home run by Bobby Stevens to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning for Northern Illinois allowed the Huskies to get on the board first, posting a 1-0 advantage.
The RedHawks evened the score in the top of the fifth inning when an RBI single by sophomore third baseman Blake Chaffee plated freshman right fielder Gary King. NIU reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the inning, scoring two more runs to post a 3-1 advantage.
Miami retaliated in the top of the sixth inning, scoring four runs. After sophomore designated hitter Eric Darlage doubled, a single to right centerfield by senior first baseman Jeff Carroll allowed Darlage to score. With two outs, King singled to put runners on first and second for the RedHawks. Junior second baseman Evan Armitage hammered his second home run of the season, a three-run shot, to give the RedHawks a 5-3 lead.
NIU scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to even the score, 5-5. After Jesse Seykora scored on a sacrifice fly, Jordin Hood nailed a one-run homer with two outs to tie the game. In the bottom of the seventh inning Stevens hit his second home run of the game, a three-run homer, to lift the Huskies to an 8-5 lead, which they would carry through the remainder of the game.
Chaffee and Darlage each recorded two hits for the RedHawks with Darlage going 2-for-4 at the plate and scoring a run and Chaffee going 2-for-5 with an RBI.
Miami rounds out a two and a half week road stretch when it travels to Xavier for a 3 p.m. game on Tuesday, April 17.
