Box Score March 30, 2018 Box Score (PDF) | Box Score (HTML)
OXFORD, Ohio - The Miami baseball team took its series opener over Toledo, 8-7, thanks to freshman Parker Massman's walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth.
The score stood at 7-all entering the final frame. The Rockets got runners on the corners but the `Hawks stood strong and got out of the jam. In the bottom of the ninth, Ross Haffey nearly ended it as his fly ball to right fell just short of the wall but dropped in for a double. Following a walk, Massman ripped a two-strike single up the middle and Haffey hustled around third and in to score the winning run.
Miami improved its record to 14-8 (3-1 MAC) this year while Toledo fell to 6-16 (2-2 MAC). Hayden Senger (3-for-4) and Massman (2-for-4) each finished with two runs batted in on the night, while Kyle Winkler, Dallas Hall and Adrian Texidor each collected one.
The Red & White got on the board early, striking for a pair of runs in both the second and third innings. The second frame got started with singles by both Senger and Hall. Will Vogelgesang then pushed them up a base on a sacrifice bunt to set the table for Texidor, who lifted a sacrifice fly to right to plate Senger. Winkler followed up with an RBI single through the left side that brought Hall home.
In the the third inning, Haffey led off with a walk and Landon Stephens singled to put two on for the `Hawks. After a fly out, Senger hit a two-run double to center to extend the Miami advantage to 4-0.
Toledo cut the RedHawk lead in half in the top of the fourth on a two-run double to right.
Miami got the four-run edge back with single tallies in the fifth and seven innings. In the fifth, Stephens singled through the left side and made it to third thanks to a two-base error on a failed pickoff attempt. Massman promptly brought him in on a fly ball in foul territory, but deep enough for Stephens to tag and score on. In the seventh inning, with Stephens on third and Massman on first, Massman danced off first and induced a pickoff attempt, one that was long enough for Stephens to come home and score. The run had the `Hawks in front, 6-2.
The UT offense came to life in the eighth. A bases-loaded walk, a one-run single, a sacrifice fly, another one-run single and an RBI groundout totaled five runs in the frame and thrusted the Rockets into their first lead of the game at 7-6. Miami wasted very little time in getting the game knotted up. In the next half inning, Senger led off with a triple down the right field line and tagged up and scored on a Hall sacrifice fly the following at bat. The tally had the the score at 7-7 before Massman's ninth-inning heroics ultimately ended it.
The series continues Saturday at noon. The game was originally scheduled for 4 p.m. but was moved up due to concerns with inclement weather.
