TicketsBearcats Drop Slugfest To USF, 18-10
UC with 17 hits in loss
Contact: Shawn Sell
3/20/2004
Steve Pickerell had three hits and three RBI Saturday at USF. |
TAMPA, Fla.---USF exploded for 10 runs in the final two innings to take the winning end of a slugfest with Cincinnati, 18-10 in Conference USA baseball action on Saturday afternoon at Red McEwen Field.
The Bearcats (3-14, 0-2 C-USA) led by a 10-7 score in the middle of the sixth inning, but a Myron Leslie homer in the sixth and six Bull runs in the seventh pushed USF (16-6, 2-0 C-USA) to its second win in as many days over the Bearcats. Cincinnati did pound out a season-high 17 hits, but again had difficulty capitalizing on the runners, as they stranded 12 men on base.
UC?s big offensive day was led by Brian Beltz and Steve Pickerell who had three hits apiece. Pickerell also drove in three runs, as did Aaron Moll. Six of Cincinnati?s nine batters had multiple hit performances in the contest. USF, who registered 14 hits, got four RBI each from Devin Ivany and Brian Baisley.
The game?s outset had all the makings of another USF dominating performance as it scored four first inning runs against Greg Russell. Matt McHargue had the big hit of the inning when he blasted his sixth home run of the year to right.
But the Bearcats stormed back into the contest with six unanswered runs. UC started its spurt in the third with three runs, the first coming on a Beltz single and the balance on a two-run single by Pickerell. The Bearcats tacked on three more in the fourth on RBI doubles by Jim Olds and Moll and an RBI fielder?s choice by Pat LeMasters.
USF quickly retook command with three runs in its half of the fourth. Devin Ivany had a two-run single in the frame that spelled the end for Russell, while Josh Kay hit Baisley with the bases loaded to score another run.
Again finding themselves trailing, Cincinnati tallied a pair in each of the fifth and sixth innings to push the lead to 10-6 after five and a half innings of play. Moll knocked in the two fifth inning runs with a single, while Pickerell plated a sixth inning run with an RBI single and Drew Saylor followed with an RBI double.
But after Leslie homered off of Kay in the sixth, the wheels fell for the Bearcats in the seventh. USF exploded for six runs off of Eric Eckman, handing the freshman his first career defeat. The Bulls sent 10 batters to the dish in the frame to push into the lead for the final time. Leslie and Baisley each had two RBI in the inning, while Bryan Hierlmeier and McHargue each added one. USF put up four insurance runs in the eighth, with a two-run double by Ivany highlighting the scoring.
Chase Lirette got the win out of the USF bullpen, improving to 3-0 with 3.2 innings of work. Lirette gave up seven hits and four runs, striking out three. Eckman was tagged with the loss after giving up six runs on three hits and three walks.
The Bearcats will try to avoid a sweep in the series finale tomorrow at noon. Tony Maynard gets the start for UC, going against USF?s Casey Hudspeth.