TicketsBearcats Drop Doubleheader At Vanderbilt
UC held to nine hits on the day
Contact: Shawn Sell
3/6/2004
Steve Pickerell went 2 for 2 with a pair of walks in game one of Saturday's doubleheader. |
NASHVILLE, Tenn.---Vanderbilt?s starting pitching dominated Cincinnati, leading the Commodores to a doubleheader sweep of the Bearcats on Saturday at Hawkins Field. Vanderbilt won the opener by an 8-2 score and followed that up with a 9-1 triumph in the nightcap.
Jeremy Sowers and Jensen Lewis combined for 17 strikeouts in 14 innings of work, yielding just one run and nine hits between them. Vanderbilt improves to 9-1 on the year, while Cincinnati slips to 2-9.
?Good pitching will almost always stop good hitting,? said Bearcat head coach Brian Cleary. ?Vanderbilt pitched exceptionally well and that was the story of the day. We ran into two dominating starting pitchers that didn?t let us get anything going offensively.?
The first game saw Vanderbilt get to UC starter and losing pitcher Justin Minges (0-2) for eight runs in five innings. The Commodores scored two runs each in the second and third innings, pounding out six hits in the two frames. Tony Mansolino got the scoring started with an RBI groundout, followed by a run-scoring single by Worth Scott in the second. The third inning saw a Cesar Nicolas sacrifice fly and a Mike Baxter RBI single that made it 4-0.
The Commodores tacked on four more in the fifth inning that spelled the end of the day for Minges. Warner Jones and Baxter both had RBI doubles in the inning, while Scott plated two more with a two-run single to right. The Bearcats were able to cut down Scott on the base paths, catching him in a rundown as he tried to turn his hit into a double.
Meanwhile, Sowers (3-0) was cruising on the mound. The former first round pick of the Cincinnati Reds and high school teammate of Bearcats? Brian Beltz and Erik Eitel, left after seven shutout innings of work. The junior struck out six, while walking one and allowing five hits. Both of the UC runs came in the eighth when Vanderbilt reliever Jeff Sues walked both Brian Dill and Jon DeLuca with the bases loaded.
Steve Pickerell highlighted the first game offensively for the Bearcats, as the senior catcher picked up two of UC?s five hits, while also walking twice. Baxter led Vandy with three hits and two RBI and Scott knocked in three.
The nightcap saw more of the same story as the first with Vanderbilt getting dominating pitching and timely hitting. The Commodores started early with a run in the first and two more in the second, highlighted by Scott?s two-run homer in the second. The Bearcats drew to 3-1 in the third when Drew Saylor singled home Eitel after the latter doubled to lead off the inning.
In the fourth inning, the home team tacked on four more off starter Tony Maynard (1-2) that chased the junior righthander from the outing. With two outs, Aaron Garza singled to left to plate Mansolino and bring freshman Eric Eckman out of the UC bullpen for his first collegiate appearance. Eckman got off to a bit of a rocky start however, as he allowed a walk and two singles to the first three batters he faced, while also getting charged with a balk. The inning ended when Bearcat catcher Jim Olds threw Jones out trying to steal second.
The Commodores got a single run in the sixth off of Eckman on Garza?s run-scoring single and added another in the seventh off of Kyle Markle on a homer to left center by Jones.
Lewis (2-0) continued Vanderbilt?s dominance of UC hitters, striking out 11 and allowing just four hits and a walk in seven innings. Jones led five Commodore players with multiple hits, while knocking in two. Scott and Garza also added two RBI apiece for Vandy.
The two teams will wrap up their series on Sunday with a 1 p.m. CT first pitch. Brian St. Jean will get the start for Cincinnati, against Vanderbilt lefty Ryan Mullins.