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Sports TwitterCollege BASEBALL KENT STATE 11, Miami 8
Golden Flashes rap RedHawks' pitching to snap home streak
Day after being shut out, Kent State pounds Miami's No. 2 starter for 12 hits, 9 earned runs.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
OXFORD — On Friday, the Kent State Golden Flashes tried to figure out Miami pitcher John Ely and might as well have tried explaining Einstein's theory of relativity in five words or less. It wasn't going to happen, and they lost 6-0.
On Saturday, the Flashes tried to solve Miami's pitching again and this time it was more like one plus one equals two. Everybody had the answer.
Extras
Kent State walloped 19 hits and snapped the RedHawks' nine-game home winning streak with an 11-8 victory at McKie Field.
Miami senior Connor Graham has been a solid No. 2 starter this year. Twice he has been named Mid-American Conference Pitcher of the Week.
But Saturday was one of those days. For the Flashes, everything went right. For Graham, everything went wrong.
In 42/3 innings, the Miami right-hander gave up nine earned runs on 12 hits and three walks. Of the 24 batters he faced, 15 reached base.
"Connor has been pretty good all year, but he just wasn't as sharp today," said Miami coach Dan Simonds, whose team slipped to 19-14 overall, 8-4 in the MAC. "It happens. You wish it wouldn't, but it does."
Senior pitcher Jeff Day fared little better.
The Lakota East High School graduate relieved Graham in the fifth inning, faced three batters and gave up a single, double and walk.
Then things got better for Miami's staff. Day was followed by freshman Reece Asbury, who allowed two runs in 31/3 innings, and freshman Jamaal Hollis, who pitched a scoreless ninth.
And the RedHawks, who had blown a 6-2 lead after two innings, put the potential tying run on base in the bottom of the ninth inning following a run-scoring single by J.D. Mynhier. But KSU junior reliever Reid Lamport retired pinch-hitter Tommy Nurre on a pop foul to end the game.
"I'll be honest with you, I believed to the last that we'd come back, that Nurre would hit a gapper and we'd be right there," said Simonds, whose RedHawks had rallied from a nine-run deficit against Ball State on April 1 to win 16-15.
Miami sent 10 batters to the plate and scored six runs in the second inning on the strength of a two-run homer by sophomore catcher Josh Hula, a two-run
single by Chris Nadeau and run-scoring singles by Mynhier and Brandon Hillier.
KSU was led by Greg Rohan, 4-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs, and Doug Sanders, 4-for-6.
Miami and Kent State (16-22, 7-7 MAC) will conclude their three-game series today at 1 p.m. Sophomore left-hander Robert Shannon (2-0) will start for the RedHawks.
Kent 022 051 010 — 11 19 2
Miami 060 000 011 — 8 14 0
WP — Dominique Rodgers (2-4); LP — Connor Graham (3-3); HR — KS: Anthony Gallas (6), Greg Rohan (5); M: Josh Hula (2)
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or pconrad@coxohio.com.
