College Baseball: No. 17 AASU 9-6, No. 6 Southern Indiana 4-4 (10 inn.)

The Pirates (5-0) begin the 2008 season with five consecutive wins against top 10-ranked clubs – with three of those wins coming in their final at-bat. This time, Miller’s two-run shot to center field with two out completed another comeback as AASU trailed Southern Indiana (0-2) by a 4-1 score in the seventh inning.

With the Screaming Eagles leading by three in the seventh, the Pirates tied the game on a miscue by right fielder Devon Bouvier. AASU had runners on first and second when a bloop single by Juan Dorado fell in front of Bouvier in right field. Bouvier tried to get the force at second base as runner Michael Price had to hold to see if the ball would be caught, but his throw was to the left of second baseman Kevin O’Hair and to the right of third baseman Alex Theiroff, rolling all the way into foul territory and up the left field fence. All three runners – including Dorado – scored, tying the game at 4-4.

In the bottom of the tenth inning, reliever Shaun Larsen (0-1) retired the first two batters, but junior Nick Pyron reached on an infield single to short, setting up Miller’s heroics. The homer made a winner out of Brandon McCreery (1-0), who hurled four innings of two-hit ball, giving up one run while striking out six. Larsen gave up two runs in 1 2/3 innings to take the loss.

Game one was the Josh Wilson and Miller show as the Pirates won going away, 9-4. Wilson clubbed two home runs – including a three-run blast in the bottom of the eighth inning – while Miller collected three hits and drove in two runs to pace AASU. Junior Cody Walden (1-0) hurled five innings, giving up eight hits and four runs – three earned – while striking out nine to pick up the victory for the Pirates. Senior Nate Herder pitched four innings of no-hit relief to record his first save of the season. Cory Julian (0-1) took the loss for Southern Indiana, giving up five runs – four earned – and six hits in four innings pitched.

Miller finished the doubleheader 5-for-8 with five runs driven in, including a double and the two-run home run. Wilson also collected five hits in the doubleheader and drove in four runs. Southern Indiana was led at the plate by Kevin O’Hair’s four hits and three RBI.

The Pirates and the Screaming Eagles will wrap up their three-game series on Sunday morning with a single game at 11:00 a.m.