TERRE HAUTE, IN ? With 29 runs scored and 34 hits combined between the two teams, the Indiana State Sycamores had the upper hand in their final non-conference game of the year, defeating the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks 17-12 in a game that lasted nearly four hours at Sycamore Field Tuesday night.
Indiana State, 15-32 overall, will host the Illinois State Redbirds for the final Missouri Valley Conference series of the season starting on Thursday. Illinois State lost 5-4 to Western Michigan in 10 innings on Tuesday.
Miami scored twice in the top of the first inning as Tommy Nurre hit into a fielder's choice that pushed one run over the plate and Brad Gschwind hit a two-out single down the right field line to score another.
The Sycamores got one back in the bottom of the first as Brian Ramirez singled to left center, went to second as Brady Shoemaker walked and then scored on a single through the right side by Brian Jett.
J.D. Mynhier gave the RedHawks a 3-1 lead with a leadoff home run to left to start the third inning. Miami (Ohio) added two unearned runs before ISU starter Josh Varno was relieved by Brendon Smith.
Indiana State got two back in the bottom of the third as RedHawks starter John Greene hit three batters and gave up a double to Pascual Del Real. Chris Schmidt and Brady Shoemaker were each hit by a pitch to lead off the inning with Schmidt scoring from second as Greene tried to pick off Shoemaker at first but threw the ball past the first baseman. Shoemaker advanced to third and scored on Del Real's double.
The Sycamores looked to take control of the game in the bottom of the fifth, sending 15 batters to the plate and scoring 10 runs to take a 13-5 lead.
Ryan Strausborger led off the inning with a walk and went to second as Ramirez was hit by a pitch. That was all for the RedHawk starter as Greene was replaced by Brad Wilder. Schmidt beat out an infield single that loaded the bases with Shoemaker grounding out to third but scoring a run.
Jett was intentionally walked, David Brumagin and Sean Osborne were both hit by a pitch and Del Real and Gary King hit RBI singles before Wilder was pulled and replaced by Jamaal Hollis. In their second trips to the plate of the inning, Strausborger and Ramirez hit back to back singles and Schmidt came up for the second time in the inning and hit a double to drive in two more runs.
The RedHawks tacked on a run in the fifth on a solo home run to left by Josh Hula and got one more in the sixth when Mynhier walked, went to second on a wild pitch and came around to score when Brad Gschwind reached on a Sycamore error.
Miami (Ohio) scored four more in the seventh and added on in the top of the eighth to cut the Sycamore lead to 13-12.
Indiana State pushed over some insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth. Singles by Osborne and King, a walk to Strausborger, a Ramirez single and a double by Schmidt plated four runs that pushed the Sycamore lead to 17-12.
That was all ISU needed as Brian Oliver picked up his fourth save of the season and shut down the RedHawks in the ninth. Josh Varno started for Indiana State and went 2.2 innings before Brendon Smith came on and earned the win and improving to 3-1 on the season. Nathan Inman also worked in relief.
Brian Ramirez and Chris Schmidt had three hits each as Schmidt had a pair of doubles and a single with 4 RBIs and Ramirez three singles. Pascual Del Real had a double and a single, Ryan Strausborger and Gary King two singles each, and Brian Jett and Sean Osborne had a single each.
