Nine nights ago it was a shoulder injury that sidelined junior Ryan Brenner. Wednesday, the outfielder used that same shoulder to carry the Miami University RedHawks to a 6-3 comeback victory over Eastern Kentucky University in their home opener.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Brenner stepped up to the plate with a traffic jam on the base paths and the 'Hawks down 3-1. With nowhere to put one of the Red and White's best hitters, Brenner pulled the pitch through right field, sending the ball to the wall, scoring all three runners.

"It feels good coming back and they put me in a good situation," Brenner said. "I just made good contact with the ball and got the big hit."

The big hit came with two outs after a battle of an at-bat by senior Jon Edgington. The second baseman bested Colonel ace Anthony Bazzani for a free pass to load the bases.

"Jon Edgington's at-bat was tremendous," head coach Dan Simonds said. "That's a senior really stepping up and drawing a walk, giving Brenner a chance to get the big hit. That's what its all about. We want to give ourselves an opportunity to extend innings and make sure we stay in the game."

Brenner's fourth ball was the last pitch Bazzani would throw before being yanked by the Colonel skipper. Bazzani had held the RedHawk offense (9-11) to just one run over 6.2 innings before handing the ball to a shaky bullpen.

Junior Bryce Redeker followed by making contact for his fourth hit in as many at-bats. The right fielder knocked in the fifth 'Hawk run with a single squeezed between the third baseman and shortstop as Brenner cruised home following his three bagger.

"Their starter pitched a pretty good game," Brenner said. "We just knew once we got to him and they started getting in the bullpen then we would start getting some hits and scoring some runs. We weren't worried about getting runs. We were just getting good at-bats and making good swings."

Freshman starter Alex Brown surrendered the game's first two runs in the fifth inning and was pulled after a career-high five strikeouts.

The RedHawk bullpen would surrender just one more run in the final four frames facing Colonel (6-15) bats.

Freshman southpaw Seth Varner pitched a one-two-three seventh inning.

Junior Joe Neff then pitched solid in the ninth before allowing two base runners. Then Simonds motioned for sophomore Brandon Adkins, who came in and earned his third save of the season on Varner's first victory.

"I just felt like the one thing that has been good about this team is that they continue to play," Simonds said. "No one is panicking. I felt like if we could get a couple of guys on, someone would get that big hit. Our bullpen did a good job of keeping them down and shutting them down in some innings there to give us a chance in the ball game."

Having a big bat back in a lethal lineup can only improve the 'Hawks chances heading into Mid-American Conference play Friday. Brenner finished 2-3 with three RBI, 2 runs and a walk in his return to the lineup.

"He's a good player," Simonds said. "We haven't had him in nine games. I certainly miss him and I'm glad he's healthy. He can really be a difference maker in a lot of ways. He is a catalyst with people on base and a solid hitter. He's definitely a jolt for us. We were looking forward to him coming back. I promise you that."