TicketsXavier Bats Too Much For Bearcats
Contact: Shawn Sell
4/30/2003
Steve Pickerell hit his fourth home run in two days in Wednesday's loss to Xavier. |
CINCINNATI, Ohio---Steve Pickerell hit his fourth home run in two days, but the Xavier bats were too much for Cincinnati pitching, as the Musketeers took a 10-7 win over the Bearcats to salvage a two-game series split.
Xavier got two runs in the first off UC starter and losing pitcher Kyle Markle (0-10), before adding two more before a batter was retired in the second to chase Markle. Markle started the second frame yielding a single to Matt Tedford and a walk to Matt Lucas. That brought Bryan Wood on in place of Markle and he allowed a sacrifice bunt and a walk to Jason Morelli that loaded the bases. Ryan Schreen lifted a sacrifice fly to center that made it 3-0. Mark Anders provided the shot that put Cincinnati in a deep hole, as he ripped a three-run double to left center, but he was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a triple.
The Muskeeters tallied their runs after Pickerell hit a solo home run, his 11th of the year with two out in the second. The Bearcats got two more in the fourth, when Pickerell narrowly missed his second round tripper of the day, hitting a two-run double off the left field wall. UC got its fourth run in the top of the fifth on Jon DeLuca?s RBI single that made it 6-4.
But Xavier kept right on swinging, with Anders driving in three more on a two-run single in the fifth and an RBI base hit an inning later.
Cincinnati tried to make a game of it, scoring two in the eighth and adding another in the ninth. Justin Niefer came up big in the clutch with a two-out, two-run single in the eighth. The Bearcats produced some drama in the last inning, loading the bases with one out and bringing Brad Dorrmann to the plate. Dorrmann, already 3 for 4 on the day, came up just short of a game-tying grand slam when his fly ball to left was hauled in at the warning track. But Aaron Moll was able to tag from third to score the Bearcats? final run.
?I think the difference in the game was Xavier pitched better than us today,? said Bearcat head coach Brian Cleary. ?We didn?t pitch particularly well at the beginning of the day and I think if we had we would have gotten a better outcome. I am disappointed that we split this series. I thought we swung the bats okay, but I am disappointed we didn?t get a better performance on the mound.?
Anders was the star of the day, going 4 for 6 and knocking in six runs. Jay Johnson also had four hits for Xavier who improve to 19-22-2 on the year. Pickerell led the Bearcats with a 3 for 5 day and three RBI, giving him 11 in the past two days. Dorrmann added his three hits, while Niefer and Drew Saylor each had two for the Bearcats who are now 13-31.
Both teams pitching staffs had busy days, with XU starter J.T. Schultz (1-2) picking up the win. Markle was handed a tough loss, lasting just over an inning, allowing four runs and four hits. Wood, Rob Reel and Jeff Griffin followed Markle to the mound.
The Bearcats return to Conference USA action, opening a three-game series at No. 22 Tulane on Friday night.