March 28, 2003

Box Score

ATHENS, Ohio - The first Mid-American Conference game of the season went to the Miami University (8-11-1, 1-0 MAC) baseball team this afternoon as it defeated Ohio (12-7, 0-1 MAC), 9-4, at Bob Wren Stadium. The RedHawks are now 6-4 in their last 10 conference openers as freshman southpaw Sam Shorts (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard East) notched the complete-game victory.

With Shorts putting zeros on the scoreboard, the RedHawks got their first run of the ballgame when sophomore Mike Ferris (Cincinnati, Ohio/Kentucky) connected for his first home run in the Red and White uniform. Ferris ripped the roundtripper with a line drive over the right-center field wall to give Miami a 1-0 lead.

The RedHawks added to their lead, 2-0, in the fifth frame when senior David Cook (Columbus, Ohio/St. Francis DeSales) drew a one-out walk, and advanced to third base on a double by sophomore John Slone (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier) down the right-field line. Cook came across the plate on the next Miami at-bat on a ground out by senior Michael Carlin (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon).

Ohio chipped away at the RedHawks' lead with a single run in the bottom half of the fifth stanza. Jason Shockey led off with a single for the Bobcats and moved on to second on an error. The nine-hole batter for Ohio, Tony Gandee, did the rest as a single to centerfield scored Shockey from second.

Two more Miami runs in the sixth inning gave it a 4-1 advantage. Bringing home both Red and White runs was sophomore Brian Canada (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern), with his second home run of the season. Canada has now hit home runs in back-to-back games for Miami.

The Bobcats managed to score one more run in the bottom of the sixth inning, cutting the lead to 4-2. Shorts, however, avoided further damage by pitching himself out of a first and second with one out situation to preserve the Miami lead.

A big inning finally came for the RedHawks, who had Ohio pitcher Chris Bova obviously rattled, in the seventh stanza. Slone started the rally with a single up the middle and was quickly brought home when Carlin ripped a double down the left-field line and advanced on the throw to the plate. An error by Ohio's second baseman allowed Carlin to score from third. Ferris plated freshman pinch runner Geoff Orr (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg), with a triple into the gap in left-center field. The final run of the inning for the RedHawks was scored when Tabler doubled to right field.

Senior Zach Schmidt (Cincinnati, Ohio/McNicholas) gave Miami one more insurance run in the eighth inning with his first home run of the season. The tally would have stayed at 9-2 in Miami's favor if not for OU's Brian White, who tarnished Shorts' complete game with a two-run home run in the eighth to cut the deficit to 9-4.

Shorts, however, was not rattled at all by the home run as he cut down OU's final four batters to record his second victory of the season. Over the course of nine innings, Shorts scattered nine hits while allowing only four runs and striking out two Bobcats.

The RedHawks and OU continue the weekend series tomorrow, March 29, with a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.

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