TicketsUC Drops Finale At Vanderbilt, 11-2
Beltz records three hits in loss
Contact: Shawn Sell
3/7/2004
Brian Beltz had three hits in Sunday's loss at Vanderbilt. |
NASHVILLE, Tenn.---Vanderbilt jumped to a 5-0 lead and never looked back, finishing off a sweep of Cincinnati by a final score of 11-2 on Sunday at Hawkins Field. The defeat, UC?s fourth in a row, dips the Bearcats record to 2-10 on the year.
Vanderbilt?s Ryan Mullins (2-0) gave the Commodores its third outstanding starting pitching effort of the series. The lefty went seven innings, allowing eight hits and two runs with three strikeouts in helping the Commodores improve to 10-1 on the year.
The Bearcats, who registered their highest hit total of the series with eight, got a career-high three base knocks from Brian Beltz. Cesar Nicolas led the Vanderbilt hit parade with three of the Commodores 13 hits, while also knocking in four runs. Warner Jones, Mike Baxter and Jonathan Douillard all had two hits each for Vandy.
Vanderbilt started the scoring early getting single runs in each of the second and third off of UC starter and losing pitcher Brian St. Jean (0-1). Nicolas scored the first run on a Tony Mansolino sacrifice fly after leading off the frame with a double. Douillard started the third with a double and scored on a sacrifice fly by Aaron Garza.
The Commodores poured on three more in the fifth to knock St. Jean out of the game. Garza had a run-scoring double and Jones added an RBI single in the frame, with the third run coming on a passed ball.
The Bearcats finally broke through in the top of the sixth, plating both of their runs. Jack Nelson got UC on the board when he singled to score Beltz and Jon DeLuca followed Nelson with a double to left center to make it a 5-2 game.
Vanderbilt continued to pour it on, though, getting a total of six runs in its last two at-bats. Nicolas had his second of three big hits of the day in the seventh, when he launched a two-run homer to center off of UC reliever Josh Kay. The Commodores put the final four runs of the day on the board in the eighth, getting a two-run double by Nicolas and a two-run homer by Mike Baxter.
The Bearcats will try to snap their four-game losing streak when they return to action next weekend in Louisville, Ky. UC will face Ball State on Saturday (March 13) at 11 a.m., before again battling the Cardinals at 11 a.m. on Sunday, prior to a 2 p.m. non-conference clash with Louisville.