March 18, 2004
SARASOTA, FL – The Iowa baseball team fell to Miami (OH) on Thursday afternoon at the Cincinnati Reds Spring Training Complex. Iowa rallied in the final three innings to cut the deficit to one run, but the Redhawks held off the Hawkeyes for a 6-5 victory.
Iowa scored one run in the top of the first inning when Mike Best had an RBI double to score L.J. Mims, who walked to lead off the inning. After the first, Redhawk starter Keith Weiser buckled down and held the Hawkeyes to two hits over the next five innings.
Iowa finally got to Weiser in the seventh inning. Trailing 5-1, the Hawkeyes started their late inning rally with singles by Jesse Brownell and Andy Cox. After a groundout, junior Kris Welker had a pinch hit RBI single to chase Weiser out of the game.
Reliever Matt Long forced Kevin Sunderman into a fly out, but Jeff Gremley followed with an RBI single to plate Mike Mogard. Mims came up to the plate with runners on second and third and after battling, Long struck him out looking with the count full to end the threat.
The Hawkeyes added two more runs in the top of the ninth inning. Welker reached on an error to start the inning, followed by a Sunderman walk. After two groundouts, Nate Yoho singled to right centerfield to knock in two runs.
Miami (OH) gained the lead in the second inning on a two-run double by center fielder Ryne Robinson. Robinson, a punt-return specialist on the Redhawk football team, sent a rocket down the left field line and was thrown out trying to stretch his hit into a triple.
The Redhawks added three runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Miami (OH) scored an important run in the bottom of the eighth inning when pinch hitter Ryan Edginton doubled and scored to give the Redhawks a 6-3 lead.
Redshirt freshman Scott Brune pitched well for the Hawkeyes in the first start of his career. The right hander pitched 5 1/3 innings, while allowing five runs on five hits with four strikeouts.
Iowa out hit the Redhawks, 9-6, in the game. Brownell went 2-for-3 with a walk and run scored. With his first inning single, Best extended his hitting streak to seven games.
Iowa (4-8) will take on Dartmouth, tomorrow, beginning at 9 a.m. (CST) at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL.