March 21, 2008
Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio--Scoring all eight of its runs during the middle three innings, Miami University's baseball team produced a solid 8-1 win against the University of Toledo in the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams on Friday evening. The RedHawks improved to 5-11 overall and 1-0 in MAC play, while the Rockets dropped to 5-10 overall and 0-1 in league action.
Matt Erwood pitched 7.0 innings for the Red and White, giving up just three hits and no runs while striking out four to move to 2-1 on the season. Jordan Petraitis blasted two triples, going 2-for-5 from the plate with two runs and one RBI. Defensively, John Edgington came up with two diving catches in leftfield for putouts.
After three scoreless innings, Miami got on the board with a big fourth inning. The RedHawks scored four runs off five hits. Tommy Nurre doubled and J.D. Myhnier singled to put runners on the corners. A Blake Chaffee double plated Nurre to give Miami its first run. Adam Eaton nailed a two-run single to score Myhnier and Chaffee. After an Evan Armitage single and a stolen base by Eaton to place runners second and third, Miami got its third run on a ground out that allowed Eaton to score and give the RedHawks a 4-0 lead.
Miami increased its lead in the fifth inning when Petraitis tripled off the right center wall to lead off the inning and Nurre tagged an RBI single to give the RedHawks a 5-0 lead.
The RedHawks furthered their lead in the sixth inning, scoring three runs. Armitage, who reached on a Toledo error and moved to second on a passed ball and third on a groundout, scored off a Chris Nadeau single. Another powerful Petraitis triple scored Nadeau. An error by the pitcher off a Myhnier hit allowed Petraitis to score to give the RedHawks an 8-0 lead.
Miami kept the Rockets off the board until the ninth inning. Dan Sherwood, who was pinch hitting, was walked to start the inning and then scored off a pinch hitter Jim Vahalik double to give the Rockets their lone run or the game and make the final score 8-1.
Kyle Rawlings started on the mound for the Rockets and pitched 4.0 innings. He gave up five runs off nine hits and struck out one. Rawlings dropped to 0-2 on the season.
For the game, Miami gave up just five hits to the Rockets.
The teams play the second of a three-game weekend series at 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 22.
