TicketsBearcats Come Up Short At Houston
Cougars squeak out 7-6 win
Contact: Shawn Sell
4/25/2004
Brian Beltz had three hits in Saturday's loss at Houston. |
HOUSTON, Texas?Cincinnati outhit Houston by a 12-8 count, but the Bearcats came up short in the all important run column as they dropped a 7-6 decision to the Cougars on Saturday night in Conference USA baseball action.
In a game that was delayed for 83 minutes in the bottom of the second inning by rain, the Bearcats held a pair of leads but Kevin Roberts? two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth inning put Houston ahead to stay. Despite the 12 hits, the Cougar pitching staff stifled the Bearcat offense with a combined 18 strikeouts.
Aaron Moll gave the Bearcats another gutsy pitching performance in falling to 2-4 on the year. Moll allowed all seven of the Houston runs on eight hits, but retired the final 10 batters he faced, leaving after seven innings. The Bearcats fall to 8-30 this season with the loss, while showing a 2-15 C-USA slate. Houston is now 19-22 overall and 11-6 in league play.
Four Bearcat hitters registered multi-hit games, led by Brain Beltz with three. Mark Muscenti, Drew Saylor and Erik Eitel all added two apiece for UC, while Steve Pickerell knocked in two runs.
Cincinnati got on the scoreboard first, just prior to the rain delay when Pat LeMasters? lifted his second home run of the year over the right field wall in the top of the second. With one out in the bottom of the frame, the rain hit Cougar Field, causing a delay of over an hour. When play resumed, the Cougar bats were red hot as they utilized a pair of walks and three straight singles to take a 4-1 lead. Brett Logan and Matt Farrington got the first two runs home, while lead-off batter Travis Tully tacked on the last two with a single to left center.
The rain delay provided an entertaining side note to the night?s action as Pickerell passed the time with a stunning dance performance in front of the first base dugout in response to a performance by a Houston player.
The Bearcats got one of the runs back in the third on an RBI fielder?s choice by Jon DeLuca. The Bearcats surged into a 6-4 lead an inning later as eight batters came to the plate in a four-run inning. Beltz brought the Bearcats within a run with an infield single and another run came around to score when second baseman Cole Bruce?s throw was wild. Pickerell was next at the rack and he launched a two-run double to right center that brought home the final two runs of the night for UC.
The bottom of the inning proved to be the difference in the game, however, as Houston got the last three runs of the night to go ahead for good. Tully singled to lead off the inning and two out later, Stuart Musslewhite followed suit with a knock up the middle. Center fielder Matt Ogden came up throwing to third, but his throw was errant and sailed into the Houston dugout, allowing Tully to score and Musslewhite to go to third. Kevin Roberts was the next hitter and he lined a Moll offering out of the park for the final runs of the day.
From there, Moll and reliever Jeff Griffin dominated the Houston line-up, retiring the final 13 Cougar hitters of the day. The Bearcats had a couple of opportunities to tie or go ahead in the game, with the best coming in the seventh inning. With one out, UC loaded the bases against Justin Vaclavik. Brandon Roznovsky relieved Vaclavik and got pinch-hitter Jack Nelson to pop out, then forced Ogden into a fielder?s choice to end the last strong scoring chance for the Bearcats.
Vaclavik picked up the win for Houston in relief of Roberts, improving to 1-1 on the year. Roznovsky went the final 2.2 innings for his fifth save of the season. Tully was the only Houston player with more than one hit, while Roberts picked up two RBI with his blast.
The Bearcats will try to avoid a sweep, when they wrap up the series beginning at noon CT on Sunday. Eric Eckman takes the mound for the Bearcats, facing Houston?s Austin Sumerlin.