Miami has an all-time record of 30-37 against Indiana, the team's foe Thursday. (Michael Griggs)
With the fear of falling down another rung on the MAC East division ladder, the Miami University baseball team (21-18) roughed up Bowling Green University 14-12 Sunday. The 'Hawks were outscored 45-39 by the Falcons (20-17) in the 3-game series and remain in third place in the division.
"It was very big," head coach Dan Simonds said. "It took a lot, the first two games were tough losses with the number of runs we put up but we could just not keep them down. The momentum was all on their side. To come back the way we did and staying up was a big character win for us."
Bowling Green drew first blood in the bottom of the first when third baseman Derek Spencer turned around a Jordan Jankowski pitch and lifted it over the centerfield fence to make the score 2-0.
Sick of being pushed around, the 'Hawks came out of their corner swinging. Sophomore Adam Weisenburger landed his knockout punch with a two-run bomb. The shot tied up the game and was only the beginning of the dramatic finale. Falcon Mark Galvin launched another less than stellar RedHawk pitch out of Steller Field to reclaim the lead for the home team in the bottom of the inning.
"Honestly, this weekend was a little different from any we've experienced," senior Tommy Nurre said. "The wind was around 30 mph so people were hitting pop-ups that usually the infielders catch and they were flying out of the ball park. Coach Simonds always tells us how important it is to win every game that we can in the MAC. Coming out of there winning one of three games we are looking forward to this weekend against Akron."
Miami's Jordan Petraitis dragged his heavy bat to the plate to lead off the third and one-upped Galvin when he obliterated a Falcon fastball for his fifth homerun of the season. Bowling Green's Spencer returned to the plate and delivered again when he smashed his second two-run homerun of the game. The 'Hawks then booted a throw from the outfield, allowing the Falcons to expand their lead to 6-3.
In the fourth inning neither team made any noise in a series that had already seen 25 homeruns. In the fifth, designated hitter Eric Darlage drilled a single to center to bring home sophomore Adam Eaton and close in on the lead. The pitching staff blanked the Falcons in the bottom of the inning to set the stage for a comeback.
Eaton returned in the next inning and tattooed a ball to left for a triple that brought home freshmen Ryan Curl and Patrick Glass. A wild pitch brought home the speedy Eaton and gave the 'Hawks their first lead of the game. Petraitis tapped home plate on a fielder's choice and extended the RedHawk lead to 8-6. Weisenburger sabotaged another Falcon pitch when he raked a double that brought in two. Weisenburger hit .700 for the series with four extra base hits and six RBI.
Miami skipper Dan Simonds cringed in the dugout when his staff gave up six runs in the bottom of the inning and gave the Falcons a 12-11 lead. The onslaught included a three-run shot that hit the scoreboard in centerfield.
The nylon bristles of the umpire's brush were given a break in the seventh and eighth innings as neither team could dirty up home plate. The one-run stalemate would end when Miami's Curl connected for a two run double in the ninth. The freshman sprinted home on a Petraitis sacrifice fly, giving the 'Hawks a 14-12 lead. Reliever Jamaal Hollis introduced the Falcons to his fastball and earned his third victory of the season, blanking them in the final innings.
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The Red and White will take on the Indiana University Hoosiers at 4 p.m. Thursday in Bloomington, Ind.
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