TicketsBearcats Drop Twinbill To Winthrop
Contact: Shawn Sell
2/14/2003
Brad Schutz was 4 for 7 in Friday's doubleheader against Winthrop |
ROCK HILL, S.C.---Winthrop plated three runs, two unearned in the bottom of the fifth inning to overcome a one-run deficit and held on to sweep a doubleheader from the University of Cincinnati, 4-2. The Eagles were also victorious by a 6-4 count earlier in the day.
The defeat drops Cincinnati to 1-4 on the year, while Winthrop is now 2-0.
Thomas Olenjniczak went the distance on the mound for Winthrop and limited the Bearcats to just four hits and two runs, while walking only one and striking out seven. Kyle Markle was is his second appearance of the year, but fell to 0-2 after yielding four runs, two earned over five innings.
Brad Schutz provided the only real offensive spark for the Bearcats in the nightcap, as he went 2 for 4, with an RBI and a run scored. Schutz scored the first Cincinnati run, when Jake Smith plated him following a Schutz double in the first frame. Schutz later scored Justin Niefer with an RBI single in the fifth.
Winthrop finally broke through against Markle in the fifth, tallying the three runs that would push them to victory. The Eagles put runners on first and third with one out and Matt Matkovich responded with a sacrifice fly to score Chris Leroux. That brought Bennett Stapf to the plate and the junior hit a fly ball to right that eluded Aaron Moll, bringing another run home. Grant Neindenfeuhr followed with the game?s final run on an RBI single.
?I am very disappointed with the day and disappointed with the result,? said Bearcat head coach Brian Cleary. ?I thought we swung the bats better and got two good pitching performances. We just couldn?t put enough together to come away with a win.?
The Bearcats yielded four runs in the first three innings of game one and then had its comeback come up short as they dropped the first game of the twinbill, 6-4.
Schutz and Drew Saylor each homered in the defeat for the Bearcats. The blasts both came as part of a three-run fourth inning for Cincinnati, who also added a Jon DeLuca run-scoring groundout after Niefer hit his first triple of the year off the right centerfield wall.
The Bearcats made one last attempt to come back, loading the bases with no one out in the top of the eighth. Mark Muscenti started the stanza being hit by a pitch, before Schutz singled. After the Eagles? Matt Tanner uncorked a wild pitch to advance both runners, Smith walked to pack the sacks. Saylor followed with a sacrifice fly that chased Tanner. Kyle Duff replaced Tanner and struck out Niefer. Jon Wilson then hit the mound for Winthrop, and he induced DeLuca into a popout to second to end the inning.
Winthrop did most of its damage with a four-run third inning. Freshman Daniel Carte provided the big hit for the Eagles as he crushed a B.J. Borsa offering over the wall in left centerfield for a three-run home run.
Despite a relatively solid outing, Borsa absorbed the loss for UC, allowing six runs, five earned and 10 hits in seven innings on the mound. Borsa added four strikeouts, while walking three.
Jeremy Plaxico earned the win for Winthrop (1-0), allowing three runs and four hits, while walking one and fanning six in six innings. Wilson earned the save with 1.1 innings of one-hit baseball.
Schutz posted his second multi-hit game of the year with a 2 for 3 effort. Saylor drove in two of the Bearcats? four runs.
For the second time in as many days, the weekend schedule was been altered due to a threat of bad weather conditions. Cincinnati and Winthrop will attempt a doubleheader on Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m. If both games can be completed, the final game of the series on Sunday will not be held.