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’Hawks split with BGSU

By Daniel Taylor, For The Miami Student

After a rainout pushed Friday's game info a Saturday doubleheader, the Miami University baseball team dropped two of three games against Bowling Green State University this weekend.

MU (5-23, 3-6 Mid-American Conference) split the Saturday twofer and dropped a high-scoring Sunday finale.

In the first game, senior righty Ryan Powers allowed only three earned runs and totaled six strikeouts and three walks in 6.2 innings of work.

Sophomore Brad Schwartz entered the game in the seventh and held the score at 7-3.

Senior righty Will Schierholz closed things down in the ninth, and Miami added one run to escape with an 8-3 victory.

Junior outfielder Gary Russo continued his hot streak, going 2-3 and batting in three runs, a double and a walk.

Redshirt sophomore Adam Yacek launched his third home run of the season.

In game two of the doubleheader, the 'Hawks jumped out to the early lead. Senior Ryan Elble started with a triple and was brought home on senior Matt Honchel's sacrifice fly.

The 1-0 lead did not stand for long. Bowling Green (9-17, 3-6 MAC) countered with a three-run blast from sophomore infielder Greg Basalyga. The Falcons added two runs in the second and one in the fourth to take a 6-4 lead.

The RedHawks threatened in the ninth after a hit-by-pitch, error and fielder's choice allowed senior infielder Scott Slappey to diminish BGSU's lead to 7-5.

Sophomore Jacob Banks pitched 8.0 innings for the RedHawks. Banks finished with four strikeouts, one walk and six earned runs.

After Saturday's split, things turned wild for the finale.

Both teams' offenses came alive. The Falcons kicked off the slugfest with five runs in the first. The scoreless second inning was the only inning the Falcons did not put at least one run on the board.

Matt Honchel put the RedHawks on the board with his first career home run. His three-run shot over the right-field wall cut the Falcons' lead to 5-4 after the blast, but Bowling Green punched back in the bottom of the inning to take a 7-4 lead.

Slappey hit a two-run shot in the next inning, and Honchel hit his second blast of the day in the fifth inning. A wild pitch from Schwartz gave Bowling Green a 9-8 lead.

Yacek and senior Max Andresen hit back-to-back sac flies to give Miami a 10-9 lead after five and a half innings. It was the RedHawks' first lead of the afternoon.

BGSU added six runs in the following two innings to regain a 15-10 lead.

Both teams added runs, but the Red and White could not complete a comeback and lost 18-12.

The 'Hawks and the Falcons sit in a tie for fourth in the MAC East.

Miami travels to Huntington, West Virginia for a single game against Marshall University. First pitch is 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Marshall beat Miami 16-3 April 1 and was swept by No. 22 Florida Atlantic University in a three-game series over the weekend.

Miami hosts Wright State University 6 p.m. Wednesday.

The RedHawks fell 7-3 to Wright State 7-3 March 24. Wright State has since gone 4-3 with wins over the University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of Cincinnati, Valparaiso University and Northern Kentucky University.

After facing Marshall and Wright State, Miami plays two more mid-week non-conference games before heading back to MAC competition.