TicketsErrors Prove Costly In UC Loss To Tulane
Bearcats commit five errors in 11th straight loss
Contact: Shawn Sell
4/3/2004
Drew Saylor went 4-for-4 in Saturday's loss to Tulane. |
AMELIA, Ohio---Season highs in errors and runners left on base proved fatal as the Cincinnati Bearcats dropped a 10-1 decision to No. 11 Tulane on Saturday night at Midland Field in Conference USA baseball action.
The Bearcats? usually sound defense committed five errors, while the UC offense left 14 runners on base in falling to 3-22 overall and 0-8 in C-USA. Tulane improves to 22-7 overall and keeps a stranglehold on the top spot in the league at 7-1.
Cincinnati continued to hit the ball well, accounting for its fifth straight double-digit hitting effort. The Bearcats got 13 hits on the night, including four by Drew Saylor and three by Steve Pickerell. Tulane had 11 hits for the game, with Nathan Southard and Brian Bormaster picking up three apiece.
Tulane started the scoring early getting to UC starter Eric Eckman (0-2) for four second inning runs in the first career start for the Bearcat hurler. The Wave racked up five hits in the inning, getting RBI by Brian Bogusevic, Tommy Manzella and Southard to stake an early 4-0 lead.
?We still haven?t put together a complete game,? said Bearcat head coach Brian Cleary. ?We hit okay again tonight, but we left too many guys on base and committed too many errors early on. I thought we took a step in the right direction on the mound. We just need more timely hitting and get hits throughout our line-up.?
After Eckman retired Tulane in order in the third, the Green Wave scored at least one run in each of the next four innings. Errors hurt Eckman?s cause as the freshman left after five innings, allowing seven runs, but only three were earned.
UC finally got on the board in the bottom of the ninth as Jon DeLuca singled home Jack Nelson for the Bearcats lone marker of the day.
J.R. Crowel was outstanding on the mound for Tulane, hurling five shutout innings to improve to 4-1 on the year. The sophomore lefty allowed seven hits and three walks, while striking out six. Eckman was tagged with the loss after he yielded seven runs on six hits, with two walks and one strikeout.
The two teams will wrap up their conference series on Sunday back at Midland, beginning at 1 p.m. Aaron Moll will get the ball for the Bearcats, facing Tulane?s Cory Hahn.