21-25 Overall (11-10 MAC)


Zips beat Marshall 11-6

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Zips lost first game to Miami the other day, came back with a victory yesterday, 7-2.

OXFORD, Ohio - Aaron Gangi (Ashland, Ohio/Ashland) and Billy McKinney (Loveland, Ohio/Kings) combined to give up just three hits and two runs and the offense came alive with 14 hits to lead Akron to a 7-2 seven-inning victory over Miami in a Mid-American Conference baseball game which was played Saturday at McKie Field.

The second game of the scheduled doubleheader was rained out and play in the opening game was delayed 90 minutes. The second contest will be made up Sunday as part of a doubleheader (1 p.m.).

The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Zips, who improved to 22-28 and 12-13 in the MAC, but eliminated them from the MAC Tournament which begins play at Kent State next week. The RedHawks fell to 31-22-1 and 17-9 in the league and are tied for second overall in the league standings. The top six teams advance to the conference tournament.

Centerfielder Israel Victor (Tallmadge, Ohio/Tallmadge/UNC-Asheville) and Brian Kimutis (Washington, Pa./Trinity) each went 2-for-4 and scored a run. Reserve catcher Darek Stanfield (Columbiana, Ohio/Columbiana) was a perfect 2-for-2 and scored a pair of runs.

Akron remains two games behind Ohio (31-21, 13-11) with two to play, but Northern Illinois (32-22, 14-11) swept a doubleheader from Central Michigan Saturday to eliminate the Zips, who needed the Huskies to lose two of their final three games. NIU entered the day in seventh, but jumped to fifth, just ahead of Western Michigan (24-26, 15-12) and OU, whose doubleheader with Eastern Michigan was rained out today.

Akron got on the board early with single runs in the first and second before Miami answered with a run of its own in the bottom of the second when right fielder Jason Brown drove home Tyler Tabler. The RedHawks has two of their three hits in the second.

After extending the lead to 3-1 in the fifth on Tom Lindhe's (Akron, Ohio/North) RBI single, the Zips four insurance runs over the final two frames. In the sixth, Stanfield scored on Doug Kruthaupt's (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle/Butler) sacrifice fly and Victor came around on Craig Welch's (Hartville, Ohio/Marlington) RBI single. Kimutis added a two-run single in the seventh.

Gangi (5-5) yielded just two hits and one earned run over the first four innings to pick up the win. McKinney surrendered only one hit and one earned run over the final three frames in posting his first career save.

Starter Graham Taylor (6-3) took the loss for the RedHawks despite giving up only two runs in his four innings of work.

MU centerfielder David Cook, who was a one-man wrecking crew in Friday's 11-4 win with three runs scored and four RBIs, went 0-for-3 today.

Despite not making the tournament, the Zips have secured their most league wins since the 2000 season when they went 12-15. A sweep in tomorrow's twinbill would give Akron its best conference record since the 1996 campaign when it finished 18-14 and advanced to the NCAAs

MENDOZA NAMED TO 1ST TEAM ALL MAC



May 21, 2003

AKRON, Ohio - Akron right-handed pitcher Frank Mendoza (Miami, Fla./Coral Park HS/Pensacola JC) was a first-team all-conference choice in a vote by the league's head coaches, the Mid-American Conference announced Wednesday.

Mendoza, who was 7-3 with a 3.22 ERA this season, was one of 30 selections to the first and second teams and one of five pitchers named to the first team. He is the first Zips' baseball player to earn All-MAC accolades since Mark Malaska was tabbed first team in 2000.

A two-time MAC East Pitcher of the Week choice, Mendoza finished the regular season tied for second in the league in wins. He was also fourth in ERA and fifth in opposing team batting average (.240). In addition, Mendoza etched his name in the UA record books in single-season innings pitched (78.1/t-6th), wins (t-7th) and strikeouts (70/t-9th).

OF Brad Snyder of Ball State was chosen the MAC Player of the Year and RHP Dirk Hayhurst of Kent State earned MAC Pitcher of the Year honors. LHP Graham Taylor of Miami, meanwhile, was tabbed freshman of the year and Rick Rembielak of Kent State secured league coach of the year accolades.

The Zips concluded the 2003 season last weekend with a 22-30 record and 12-15 league mark, securing their most wins in MAC play since the 2000 season when they also finished 12-15.