RedHawks Sweep Doubleheader, Series Against Illinois State

Sunday, March 5

Oxford, Ohio

3:05 PM

Miami University

3-7

Illinois State (Doubleheader Game 2)

2-7

Illinois State

Miami (OH)

RedHawks Sweep Doubleheader, Series Against Illinois State

3/5/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

March 5, 2017

Game 1 Box Score (PDF) | Game 1 Box Score (HTML)
Game 2 Box Score (PDF) | Game 2 Box Score (HTML)

OXFORD, Ohio - The Miami University baseball team captured a series sweep over Illinois State with two wins over the Redbirds on Sunday. In game one, the Red & White held strong down the stretch to slip past ISU, 8-6, before closing the weekend with a 9-4 decision in the series finale. Both starting pitchers on the day, Zach Spears and Brad Schwartz, picked up the wins for Miami while Shane Smith collected a save in the first game.

Game 1 Recap - Miami 8, Illinois State 6
Miami got itself on the scoresheet early with three runs in the home half of the first. Dallas Hall and Hayden Senger led off the game by earning back-to-back walks. After a strikeout, Adam Yacek ripped a double to the gap in left, plating both Hall and Senger. After another out, Tyler Harris singled to left to bring in Yacek and make it 3-0 after just an inning of action.

Following scoreless frames in the second and third, the Red & White doubled their margin in the fourth. Cal Elvers doubled to kick things off before a two-run blast to deep center by Tyler Harris made it 5-0 Miami. Brooks Urich kept the hot streak going with a single to right and was moved over to second on a Carlos Texidor sacrifice bunt the next at-bat. Following a groundout that got Urich over to third, Hall singled to bring him in and make it 6-0 RedHawks through four.

Illinois State cut into the deficit with a four-spot in the fifth. A bases-loaded triple and a sacrifice fly to right narrowed Miami's lead to 6-4. However, in the bottom half of the frame, the 'Hawks got two runs back. Yacek worked a leadoff walk and was pushed over to second after a successful sacrifice bunt from Elvers. Harris brought him around on a triple down the right field line in the next at-bat. Urich finished off the inning by converting on a safety squeeze that plated Harris and brought the lead to 8-4 in favor of the RedHawks after five.

The Redbirds would get single runs in the seventh and ninth innings but a strong effort out of the bullpen by Shane Smith sealed the contest for Miami. Smith tossed the final three frames in relief of starter Zach Spears, who hurled six innings of two-hit ball.

Game 2 Recap - Miami 9, Illinois State 4
A one-run single in the top of the first gave the Redbirds an early lead, but Miami would respond in the home half of the second. A one-out single by J.T. Stone got things cooking for the 'Hawks. Then, following another out, a Urich single put two ducks on the pond for Texidor, who delivered with a single to center that brought in Stone. Urich got Miami the lead when he sped home on a passed ball. After two innings of action, the Red & White had a 2-1 advantage.

The margin was short-lived though as a two-run triple in the next half inning pushed ISU back in front, 3-2. MU would answer right back in the bottom half with a seven-run frame. Hall led off with a single through the left side and was promptly brought home via a Yacek two-run shot to left field. A Haffey single and Harris and Stone walks loaded the bases. Following an out, Urich reached on an error by the first baseman and Haffey trotted home to push the margin to 5-2. With the bases still chucked, Texidor ripped a triple down the right field line to clear the basepaths. Miami's ninth and final run of the game came on the next at-bat, a Steve Sada single up the middle that plated Texidor to make it 9-4 through three.

Illinois State mustered just one more run the rest of the way, an RBI double in the top of the seventh, but again the 'Hawks were able to hold them and pick up the win.

Starting pitcher Brad Schwartz tossed five innings and allowed three runs on seven hits while striking out four Redbirds. In four innings of relief, Spencer Mraz, Eric Handelman, and Andy Almquist combined to allow just one run on two hits to preserve the series sweep.

Miami gets back on the field this coming weekend when it heads to Lexington, Ky., for a three-game series with the Wildcats. The weekend's action is scheduled to begin on Friday at 4 p.m.