April 3, 2010
Box Score
MUNCIE, Ind. - For the second straight game, the Miami University baseball team grabbed an early lead on a home run only to see Ball State use one big inning to take the lead for good, as the RedHawks rallied late but ultimately fell, 11-7 on a rainy Saturday at Ball Diamond. The start of the game was delayed by nearly two and a half hours due to wet weather. The Cardinals (10-15, 4-1 Mid-American Conference) also knocked off Miami (11-14, 1-4 MAC) in the series opener on Friday.
Sophomore designated hitter Jordan Jankowski (McMurray, Pa.) powered the RedHawk offense, clubbing two home runs for his first career multi-homer game while finishing with a career-best four RBI. He now has five round-trippers on the year and became the second RedHawk to hit two homers in a game this season, joining senior Zak Hatfield (Fort Wayne, Ind.), who did so this past Wednesday vs. Dayton. Juniors Brad Gschwind (Cincinnati, Ohio), Adam Eaton (Springfield, Ohio) and Kyle Weldon (Mason, Ohio) each had a pair of hits as well for Miami, as the foursome combined for eight of the team's nine hits.
Ball State was led by second baseman Kolbrin Vitek, who went 2-for-5 with a home run, four RBI and two runs scored, while third baseman Stephen Claypool finished 2-for-4 with a trio of RBI and a pair of runs scored, as the Cardinals tallied 11 hits (seven in one inning).
Jankowski gave Miami an early 2-0 lead with his two-run blast to right field in the second inning, but in the bottom of the frame Claypool smashed his first home of the season after two Cardinals walked to put Ball State up, 3-2.
BSU then blew the game open with a six-run, seven-hit fourth inning, capped by a two-RBI bloop single from Vitek and a three-run bomb to left-centerfield by catcher Zach Dygert, that gave the Cardinals a seven-run cushion at 9-2. After making a spectacular diving catch to end the fifth inning, Eaton, the right fielder, led off the sixth with a towering round-tripper over the right-field foul pole for his team-leading sixth home run of the season, which cut the deficit to six.
After a 21 minute rain delay in the eighth inning, Vitek resumed play by hitting a two-run home run to make the score 11-3. Miami looked to rally in the ninth as Weldon led off with a single and Jankowski belted his second two-run bomb of the contest to dead centerfield, closing the gap to six. After two outs, the RedHawks loaded the bases and junior catcher Adam Weisenburger (Plymouth, Minn.) ripped a single up the middle that plated two more runs, but BSU shortstop T.J. Baumet made a diving grab to snare a liner that thrwarted the Miami rally and handed the 'Hawks an 11-7 loss.
Freshman starter Brooks Fiala (Carmel, Ind.) took the loss (2-2), allowing eight runs on six hits in 3.1 innings of work with a pair of punch-outs, while Ball State starter Cal Bowling (1-3) picked up his first win of 2010, tossing seven innings and surrendering three runs with four strikeouts.
The RedHawks look to avoid a series sweep Sunday when Miami and Ball State wrap up their weekend set at 1 p.m. at Ball Diamond.
--MURedHawks.com--
