TicketsBearcats Score 8-5 Win At Ohio
Contact: Shawn Sell
4/22/2003
Justin Minges picked up his first win of the season with 6.1 innings of relief against Ohio. |
ATHENS, Ohio---Three Bearcats homered and Justin Minges turned in an outstanding relief outing as Cincinnati topped Ohio, 8-5 on Tuesday at Bob Wren Stadium.
Minges came on in relief of starter Bryan Wood in the second inning and limited Ohio to just two hits and a run in 6.1 innings to pick up his first win of the season. Cincinnati improves to 12-27 on the season, while Ohio falls to 22-15.
Ohio got on the scoreboard first as Wood?s first career start was a rocky one, plating three in the second. Wood had difficulty with his control throughout the frame, hitting three batters and walking a fourth. Minges replaced Wood on the hill with the bases loaded and one out and proceeded to strike out Dan Lunsford. But Minges hit Phil Sabatini to score the inning?s third run. Minges got out of the inning with a fielder?s choice by Adam Fox.
The Bearcats started their comeback in the third getting an RBI double from Justin Niefer to cut the Bobcat lead to 3-1. The Cincinnati bats erupted an inning later, scoring four to take a 5-3 advantage. Jon DeLuca singled to start the inning, followed by an Aaron Moll walk. After Drew Saylor hit into a fielder?s choice to force DeLuca at third, Brad Dorrmann came to the plate and rocked a three-run homer to right for his fourth long ball of the year.
On the mound, Minges cruised through the third and fourth innings, before the Bobcats got to him for a run in the fifth. Lunsford led off with a double and one out later Fox singled him home to make it 5-4. But those would be the only two hits that Ohio would get off Minges as he rolled into the eighth inning, allowing just one more base runner who reached via an error.
The Bearcats played the long ball game to open up a four-run cushion, getting home runs in the seventh and eighth innings. DeLuca launched his second bomb of the season, a two-run shot to right center in the seventh and Jake Smith ripped a moon shot to left in the eighth for the Bearcats? final run.
Ohio started a two-out rally in the ninth, getting a base runner on following a Bearcat error. Bryan Buck doubled to center off Rob Reel to make the final 8-5 margin.
For the Bearcats, who totaled nine hits, Niefer had a pair of doubles while DeLuca and Smith each added a pair of hits. Adam Russell took the loss for Ohio after yielding five runs and six hits in four innings of work.
Cincinnati returns to action on Friday, opening a three-game home series with TCU at 4 p.m. at Midland Field.