April 14, 2010
Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio - The Miami University baseball team put the winning run on first base in the bottom of the ninth inning but was unable to complete the comeback, as Cincinnati claimed the second annual Joe Nuxhall Classic championship, 3-2, Wednesday night at McKie Field at Hayden Park. The RedHawks (15-17) arrived in the title game by knocking off Xavier Tuesday with an eight-run, ninth-inning comeback while the Bearcats (17-14) also won in walk-off fashion Tuesday over Wright State.
Cincinnati took a 1-0 lead in the first inning as a single to right by shortstop Chris Peters allowed designated hitter Jimmy Jacquot to score from second base and the Bearcats looked to add to the cushion in the second, loading the bases with one out, but redshirt sophomore reliever Ryan Meyers (Shorewood, Minn.) earned a strikeout and forced a flyout to keep it a one-run contest.
A sac fly to deep center by UC first baseman Kevin Johnson notched another run to put the Bearcats up 2-0 in the fourth while a high-hop infield single by left fielder Justin Riddell drove in catcher Nick Rohlfs in the top of the fifth for a 3-0 advantage. Junior shortstop Ryan Kaup (Chandler, Ariz.), who had the game-winning RBI for Miami Tuesday, earned one run back in the bottom of the fifth when he smashed a solo shot over the left-field wall--his first home run as a RedHawk--to bring the deficit back to two.
The score remained at 3-1 until the bottom of the ninth when, for the second straight day, Miami went to work. After a dropped fly in center field allowed senior left fielder Zak Hatfield (Fort Wayne, Ind.) to reach second with one out, a single and a fielder's choice by sophomore center fielder Ryan Curl (Columbus, Ohio) plated Hatfield to close within one. An intentional walk put RedHawks on first and second but closer Andrew Burkett forced a groundout to the shortstop to thwart the rally and secure the tournament title for the Bearcats, 3-2.
Kaup led Miami's offense going 2-for-4 with his first round-tripper while junior first baseman Kyle Weldon (Mason, Ohio) also notched a pair of hits. Cincinnati received two hits each from second baseman Jamel Scott, Peters and Riddell, with the latter two each recording an RBI. Peters was named the tournament MVP. The 'Hawks did out-hit the 'Cats, 8-7, but UC stranded 12 runners, including 10 in the first five innings, while Miami left nine men on base.
Reliever Sam Slavik (1-1) picked up the win for Cincinnati, working 1.1 innings while giving up no runs on two hits with a pair of punch-outs. RedHawk sophomore starter Lance Kingrey (Hilliard, Ohio) suffered the loss (1-1), working the first 1.1 innings while allowing a run on two hits with three walks and a strikeout. Burkett earned his seventh save of the season by pitching the ninth inning, despite allowing an unearned run on one hit and a free pass.
"Cincinnati pitched it well. I thought we hit some balls hard but we just couldn't get anything going against their starter (Zach Isler). That's baseball," Miami head coach Dan Simonds said. "Give him credit, he only walked one and wasn't behind in a lot of counts. We hit some balls hard, but he threw strikes."
Miami and Cincinnati will play two more times in 2010, playing at Cincinnati May 11 and squaring off in Oxford May 12.
The RedHawks now return to Mid-American Conference action this weekend when they travel to Kalamazoo, Mich. for a three-game set against MAC West foe Western Michigan. The series starts Friday at 3 p.m. ET while Saturday's and Sunday's contests begin at 1 p.m. ET.
--MURedHawks.com--
