Sports
Miami Trounces Ohio 13-6
< < Back to miami-trounces-ohio-13-6A two-hour rain delay before the first pitch didn’t dampen Miami’s offensive attack as the RedHawks topped Ohio 13-6.
Miami (25-27, 14-12) outhit Ohio (13-39, 8-18) 20-12 on the evening. The offensive onslaught resulted in the use of seven pitchers between both squads.
For the RedHawks, seven different players recorded at least one RBI and 10 had a least one hit.
Ohio showed the ability to get on base, but the road team’s downfall stemmed from its inability to take advantage of men on base. The Bobcats stranded 12 runners.
Miami wasted no time frustrating Ohio starting pitcher Connor Sitz. RedHawk hitters knocked in four hits in the bottom of the first before they even had two outs.
Designated hitter John Crummy and third baseman Chad Sedio each chalked up an RBI single, putting Miami up 2-0 after one.
Ohio responded immediately, tying the game at two off of RBI singles from designated hitter Chandler Geller and center fielder Nick Squires. With two outs, it took Miami pitcher Mac Thoreson four batters to get out of the inning.
After two 1-2-3 frames, Miami regained the lead during the bottom of the fourth. First baseman Kevin Bower and center fielder Alex Johnson knocked in Miami’s third and fourth RBI singles of the game, putting the home team up 4-2.
Despite having given up eight hits and four runs through four innings of work, Sitz remained on the mound and pitched a 1-2-3 fourth inning. Brett Barber came on to relive Sitz to start the fifth.
Barber struggled in his first inning of work, hitting two RedHawk batters and allowing Miami to increase its lead to 5-2 off of another Sedio RBI single.
In a rivalry game, neither team will go away without a fight.
After going three innings without a hit, Ohio’s bats came alive during the top of the sixth. With runners on the corners, third baseman Ben Otto hit a sac fly to left, scoring shortstop Dan Schmidt and shrinking the Miami lead to 5-3.
Three batters later, Geller came to the plate and sent a single to right, scoring center fielder Tyler Wells and making the score 5-4. Miami reliever Cory Klenke came in after starter Mac Thoreson walked the bases loaded, but the Bobcats would score no more runs in the frame.
Miami proceeded to open to flood gates in the bottom of the seventh. The RedHawks came only a home run short from hitting for the cycle as a team in the inning alone.
The four-run, five-hit frame consisted of a Dan Walsh RBI single, Alex Johnson RBI triple and a two-run double from shortstop Ryan Elble. Miami led 9-4.
The very next inning, two singles and a hit-batsman loaded the bases for Ohio. A fielder’s choice scored Geller, but reliever Wynston McMartin came on to relieve Seth Varner and shut down the Bobcats after the run. The lead was cut to 9-5.
Any hopes of a comeback were soon forgotten after another four-run frame in the bottom of the eighth. A fielding error by Wells allowed two runners to score after a Johnson double. A sac fly and a Max Andersen RBI single put the RedHawks up 13-5.
A J.R Reynolds RBI double cut the lead to 13-6, but it was too little too late for the Bobcats.
After March’ 20-15 loss to Youngstown State, tonight’s total of 13 runs is the most the Bobcats have allowed this season.
Miami and Ohio will meet again on Saturday at 1 p.m to finish the regular season. Ohio will need a win and a Western Michigan loss tomorrow against Central Michigan to avoid finishing last in the Mid-American Conference.