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May 21, 2003
KENT, Ohio - In the first game of the Mid-American Conference baseball tournament the Miami University (34-22-1) baseball team defeated the No. 4 Eastern Michigan (28-26) Eagles, 6-4, to move into the winners bracket. Junior reliever Michael Gardner (Louisville, Ky./Louisville) pitched in his single-season record 30th game and killed off a EMU rally in the eighth inning for his seventh save.
The RedHawks scored the first runs of the 2003 MAC Tournament when they notched two runs to take a 2-0 lead over Eastern Michigan. Senior Michael Carlin (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon) started the rally with an infield single to the shortstop. With sophomore John Slone (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier) at the plate, Carlin moved into scoring position with a stolen base and scored two pitches later on Slone's double to right-center field. After an error on the Eagles' second baseman extended the second frame and left men at the corners, senior Zach Schmidt (Cincinnati, Ohio/McNicholas) placed a bunt down the third base line to score Slone.
An unique play in the bottom of the third inning plated Miami's third run of the game. With the bases loaded and one out, Slone hit a shot up the middle that was scooped up by EMU's shortstop on the run. The shortstops' flip the second baseman on the pivot, however, pulled him off the base allowing the runner to slide in safely and sophomore Mike Ferris (Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain) score from third.
A two-out rally in the fourth inning upped the Red and White's lead to 4-0. Senior George Stegmiller (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) slapped a double down the right-field line to keep the frame alive. Miami's next batter, Ferris, hit a slicing single into left field to score Stegmiller from second.
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Back-to-back doubles by sophomore Brian Canada (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) and freshman Jason Brown (Fairfield, Ohio/Fairfield) scored another run for the RedHawks to make it a 5-0 contest. Canada's double extended his hitting streak to 10 games.
Freshman southpaw Graham Taylor (Villa Hills, Ky./Dixie Heights) faced the minimum through the first five innings, but ran into trouble in the sixth stanza when EMU put together a four-run two-out rally. Two walks and then four consecutive singles, including two bunt hits, allowed the Eagles to crawl back into the game, 5-4.
The Eagles threatened to score in the eighth inning when they put two men on base with one out against Taylor. Miami went to its bullpen and junior righhander Michael Gardner (Louisville, Ky./Louisville) sent the next two EMU batters back to the dugout to preserve the one-run lead. The appearance was Gardner's 30th of the season setting a Miami single-season record.
Senior David Cook (Columbus, Ohio/St. Francis DeSales) hit a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to give Miami a 6-4 lead and force EMU starter Dave Pieron out of the game. The long ball was Cook's 14th of the season giving him the seventh-highest total in a single-season at Miami.
Gardner finished off the final 1.2 innings for his seventh save of the season and allowed Taylor's record to improve to 7-3.
The RedHawks play their second game of the postseason tomorrow, May 22, at 4 p.m. against the winner of this afternoon's third game between Ball State and Ohio.
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