Miami Ohio University Athletics
Clutch RedHawks Bounce Back Against Chippewas
5/12/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
OXFORD, Ohio -- Clutch two-out hitting and a dominant effort from Bailey Martin out of the bullpen paved the way in the Miami baseball team's 4-2 victory over Central Michigan on Saturday.
Miami (30-17, 14-9 Mid-American) evens the series and picks up its 30th victory of the season.
The Chippewas (22-27-1, 13-10 MAC) grabbed the lead on an Evan Kratt bases loaded RBI single in the first, but Zach Spears prevented further damage with a double play grounder. That was quickly answered in the bottom of the frame as Will Vogelgesang drilled an RBI single to right to leave it tied at one after a full inning of play.
A Miami miscue in the field allowed Central Michigan to regain the lead in the top of the third at 2-1. The Red & White managed to take advantage of a Chippewa error in the fourth as Adrian Texidor roped a two-out RBI single to left. MU loaded the bases with two outs, but the game remained tied 2-2 after four.
In the fifth, Parker Massman created some two-out magic of his own thanks to a two-run single with the bases loaded to put Miami ahead for the first time at 4-2.
After dodging some CMU scoring opportunities in the first five innings, MU brought Martin out of the pen in the sixth and he set the tone for his outstanding performance with the first 1-2-3 inning of the afternoon. The junior right-hander retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced to keep the lead going into the ninth.
With how efficiently he worked through his first three innings of work, Martin stepped back onto the mound in the ninth. After a one-out walk, Martin forced a flyout from Daniel Robinson and faced CMU designated hitter Griffin Lockwood-Powell. The Chippewas' leading home run hitter entered the at-bat with a perfect 3-for-3 day and hit a ball hard to right field, but it was flagged down in front of the wall to even the series as Martin.
Spears (4-4) evened his record on the season by allowing two runs (one earned) in five innings while striking out a pair. Martin notched his first save of the season by retiring 12 of 14 batters and fanning two batters while walking just one. Hayden Senger went 3-for-5 to pace the offense while Massman drove in two runs in a 2-for-4 performance.
The RedHawks and Chippewas battle in the rubber game of this series on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.
