April 20, 2012

Box Score

OXFORD, Ohio -- Three Bowling Green pitchers held Miami to just five hits, while the Falcons' top four hitters combined for eight hits and five runs batted in, leading the visitors to a 7-2 victory over the RedHawks Friday night at McKie Field. The loss was the fifth in six games for Miami (18-20, 4-9 MAC).

Freshman Ryan Elble tripled and score for the RedHawks, while four other players each managed a single. For Bowling Green (16-21, 5-8 MAC), Jake Thomas and TJ Losby tallied three hits each, while Logan Walker drive in three with a pair of hits.

Miami took a 1-0 lead in the first when Ryan Brenner walked and stole second. He took third on a wild throw by the catcher, then came home when Nate Bowles singled to center.

But the lead was short-lived. A one-out home run in the second tied the game, then the Falcons took the lead for good with two runs in the third. A walk and triple plated the first, while a single one out later made the score 3-1.

A one-out triple followed by a single in the fourth put the Falcons up 4-1, but Miami struck back in the fifth. With one out, Elble hit a 1-2 pitch to the wall in right center for his first career triple. When the next batter flew out to center, Elble bluffed toward home, forcing an errant throw that allowing him to score anyway. The RedHawks continued to threaten, putting runners on first and second but Falcon starter Matt Malewitz struck out Kevin Bower to end the frame.

Bowling Green added three insurance runs in the eighth to make the final score 7-2, although Miami put its first two batters on base in the ninth.

Malewitz, the first of three Falcon pitchers, improved to 3-3 by allowing two hits over 5.0 innings. Only one of the runs he surrendered was earned and he struck out one. Brooks Fiala (2-5) took the loss after giving up four runs on eight hits over 5.1 innings.

The two teams continue their series tomorrow afternoon with a 3 p.m. contest at McKie Field.