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RedHawks advance with offensive eruption
Ely pitches well against CMU; offense scores four in 8th inning of 8-4 win; Miami plays Kent today.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
YPSILANTI, Mich. — John Ely said it was only a matter of time before the Miami University baseball team gave him some run support.
The junior pitcher was right, and the RedHawks' timing could not have been better.
Extras
Miami mauled the Central Michigan Chippewas 8-4 in the opening round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament early Wednesday afternoon at Eastern Michigan's Oestrike Stadium.
Seven of those runs and 11 hits came against CMU junior right-hander Josh Collmenter, who earlier in the day had been named MAC pitcher of the year, and who in 14 previous starts had allowed only 18 earned runs.
The offensive onslaught was led by catcher Josh Hula — who clubbed two doubles and had a career-high three RBIs — along with Jeff Carroll (3-for-4) and Brandon Hillier (3-for-5).
Third-seeded Miami had managed to score only four runs over Ely's previous three starts, but he said he wasn't worried in the least.
"You knew it was going to come sooner or later," he said.
"This shows how hungry we are to win this tournament and how good of a team we are," Hula said.
Miami will play in today's second round at 4 p.m. against second-seeded Kent State, the MAC East Division champion, which advanced with a 7-3 win over Northern Illinois.
The RedHawks (32-22 overall) broke a 3-3 tie with four runs in the top of the eighth inning after CMU had rallied in the seventh with a two-run single by Billy Anderson.
"We had a huge boost of adrenaline," Ely said. "We knew we had to come out and take it to them right away."
Carroll sparked Miami's outburst with a one-out single. He took third on Dan Leonard's pinch-hit single and scored the go-ahead run on an infield single by Chris Nadeau. With two outs, Chris Niro walked and Hula — who had come into the game with only two hits in his previous 21 at-bats — belted a three-run double to left.
Hula, Miami's sophomore catcher who played his freshman year at Ohio State, counted his bases-clearing double as one of the biggest moments of his collegiate career.
"It's right up there," Hula said. "This is my first tournament game; I didn't play in any at Ohio State. I was just looking to put the ball in play."
The third-seeded Chippewas (35-20) had taken a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second, but the RedHawks tied it in the fourth when Hillier singled, stole second and scored on Carroll's single.
Miami jumped in front 3-1 in the fifth inning thanks to hits by Evan Armitage (who broke an 0-for-17 streak) and Hillier, plus a sacrifice fly by Jordan Petraitis.
C
ontact this reporter at (513) 820-2197, or pconrad@coxohio.com.
