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Bowling Green State University
MIAMI (OH)
Baseball Falls, 9-8, To Miami In Extra Innings
April 26, 2008 | Baseball
April 25, 2008
OXFORD, Ohio - A bases loaded walk issued to left fielder Jon Edgington brought home the game-winning run for the Miami RedHawks, as they defeated the Bowling Green State University baseball team, 9-8, on Friday evening in 11 innings at MU's McKie Field. With a 3-1 count, Edgington took a high pitch just outside the zone for ball four from BG reliever Brennan Smith, plating Tommy Nurre from third as the RedHawks completed a come-from-behind victory in game one of the three-game Mid-American Conference East Division series.
With the victory, the RedHawks improved to 14-26 overall and 5-11 in the MAC, while the Falcons dropped to 19-17 and 6-7, respectively.
After going three up and three down in the top half of the 11th inning, Smith took to the mound for the Falcons in search of finding a way to get three outs and continue to prolong the near four-hour game. However, the freshman was starting from behind right away, as Nurre singled to leadoff the home half of the inning. The freshman right-hander battled back though, getting J.D Mynhier to strike out looking for the first out, but things would turn quickly. A stolen base, an intentional walk and passed ball put runners on second and third with a single out. Pinch-hitter Adam Weisenburger followed with a full-count walk, which set the stage for the game's final play.
In that final play, Edgington got ahead of Smith early in the count at 2-0 as two-straight balls got Smith in a hole early. He recovered on his third pitch, getting Edgington to freeze in his stance on a cutting fastball, but quickly fell behind two pitches again with a high pitch outside the zone, leading to the final pitch that also sailed high to end the game.
For Smith, who took the loss, it was just his second career defeat as he fell to 2-2 on the season. His counterpart at the end, Samuel Dawes (2-2), earned the victory after pitching a scoreless top half of the 11th where he didn't allow a Falcon to reach base.
MU's win came after the game was tied up on three different occasions starting in the bottom half of the seventh inning. BG held a 6-5 lead entering the home half of the seventh when the RedHawk's Mynhier tied the game up at 6-6 with an RBI-single up the middle of the infield to score Nurre from second. The RedHawks then took their first lead of the game in the bottom half of the eighth inning when Edgington hit his second home run of the season off the scoreboard in left to give MU an 8-7 edge.
The Falcons wouldn't give in though, despite the late go-ahead hit. Mark Galvin led-off the BG ninth with a single to right center, before he was advanced into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt from Ryan Schlater. With one out and Galvin on second, Ryan Shay then tied the game up at 8-8 with an RBI-double to right center.
That would be where the Falcons ninth inning came to an end. Andrew Foster grounded out to first, putting Shay in motion to third, but the junior shortstop went past third and tried to catch the RedHawks napping at the plate. MU pitcher Bobb Oberschlake noticed his movement home however, as he gunned him down at the plate with a strike to the catcher, who was covering.
Nick Cantrell and Kevin Leady then combined efforts in the home half the ninth, holding the RedHawks to a single base runner, as the game went to extra innings. Both squads traded single runs in the 10th, evening the game up for the final time.
Early on, extra innings didn't seem to be a possibility, as BG got the game's scoring started with a pair of solo home runs in the second and third inning to take an early 2-0 lead. They then plated four in the fourth inning to increase that lead to 6-0, as they looked well on their way to ending their four-game conference skid.
Derek Spencer scored the game's first run in the BG second on his team-leading eighth homer of the season on a blast to deep center field. Foster followed an inning later with his third long ball of the season on a liner that clearer the left field fence to give the Falcons a 2-0 lead.
MU left-handed starter Matt Erwood then got chased in the BG fourth, as three RBI-singles in the inning got the lead up to 6-0, which seemed to be more than enough for Falcon starter Frank Berry.
That changed in the fifth inning when an MU rally chased the Virginia Beach, Va. native from the game, as they plated five runs.
Berry finished his day going four and 2/3 innings where he surrendered five runs (four earned) on seven hits, recording a single strikeout. Erwood finished with three and 2/3 innings as he gave up six runs (four earned) on seven hits.
Pacing BG at the plate on the day was Shay, who had a team-high three hits and collected two RBI. Also adding two RBI were Foster and Galvin, as Foster finished 2-for-4, while Galvin finished 2-for-5. A total of five Falcons finished the contest with two or more hits.
Leading the way at the dish for the RedHawks were Nurre and Edgington. Nurre recorded a team-best three hits, going 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Edgington had a team-high two RBI, going 2-for-4 at the plate, while accounting for three runs scored.
The same two teams will square-off again on Saturday evening with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. Scheduled to start for the Falcons is junior left-hander Kevin Light (2-3), who'll be opposite of right-hander Chris Niro (0-5) for the RedHawks. Audio will be available to fans again at www.MURedHawks.com with live statistics available again at www.bgsufalcons.com, via gametracker.
NOTES:With his appearance on Friday, senior pitcher Nick Cantrell tied former Falcon Derek Common (1989-92) for third on the all-time BGSU career appearances list at 78 ... the Falcons loss on Friday was their ninth-straight in the series against the RedHawks ... with his three hits, Ryan Shay upped his current hitting-streak to 10 games ... the game was just the second night game of the season for the Falcons.
