April 21, 2007
Stats
OXFORD, Ohio--In what can only be described as a slugfest with a combined 33 hits over nine innings of play, Miami University's baseball team came up short as it fell to Kent State University on Saturday evening at McKie Field at Hayden Park, 11-8.
The loss snapped a nine-game home win streak for the RedHawks who drop to 19-14 on the season and 8-4 in Mid-American Conference play. The Golden Flashes improved to 16-22 overall and 7-7 in MAC action.
Kent State took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning, but Miami came right back in the bottom of the inning to overtake the Golden Flashes. After senior first baseman Jeff Carroll reached second on a KSU throwing error, junior third baseman J.D. Mynhier hit a single to plate Carroll. The following at-bat sophomore catcher Josh Hula hammered his second home run of the season, a two-run shot, to push the RedHawks past the Golden Flashes, 3-2.
After Hula's home run cleared the bases for the RedHawks, Miami continued to pad its lead in the bottom of the second inning when junior right fielder Chris Niro singled up the middle, stole second and crossed home plate on a senior center fielder Brandon Hillier single. A sophomore shortstop Jordan Petraitis double put RedHawk runners on second and third to set sophomore left fielder Chris Nadeau up for a two-RBI single, which gave Miami a 6-2 lead.
Kent State would climb within two in the top of the third inning off a solo homer by Anthony Gallas and an RBI single by Greg Rohan which plated Jason Patton. The Golden Flashes scored five runs off six hits in the top of the fifth inning with all five runs scoring with two outs to catapult KSU to a 9-6 lead.
The Golden Flashes tacked on runs in the top of the sixth and eighth innings. Rohan scored on a sacrifice fly to in the top of the sixth inning and then belted a solo home run in the top of the eighth inning to give the Golden Flashes an 11-6 advantage.
Miami came back to score a run in the bottom of the eighth inning when Carroll singled to get on base and then crossed home on a junior second baseman Evan Armitage single to pull within four runs, 11-7.
The RedHawks held the Golden Flashes scoreless in the top of the ninth inning and looked to strike in the bottom of the inning when Petraitis singled to start things off for the Red and White. Nadeau reached on a fielder's choice in the next at-bat. Sophomore designated hitter Eric Darlage was then walked to put runners and first and second. With two outs, Mynhier tagged a single to right center field to plate Nadeau and move Darlage to third and put the RedHawks within three runs of the Golden Flashes, 11-8. Miami's comeback was dashed, however, when a foul out ended the game.
Four RedHawks had multiple hit games led by Petraitis, who went 4-for-5 from the plate with a run. Mynhier was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run.
Dominque Rodgers picked up the win for the Golden Flashes, moving him to 2-4 on the season.
Miami rounds out its three-game series with Kent State at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
