TicketsLong Ball Bearcats Top Saint Louis
UC hits six homers in victory
Contact: Shawn Sell
5/1/2004
Aaron Moll had two doubles, two homers and five RBI in Saturday's win over Saint Louis. |
AMELIA, Ohio---Cincinnati hit a season-high six home runs and Chase Lampl earned his first collegiate win, as the Bearcats picked up a 13-7 win over Saint Louis in Conference USA baseball action on Saturday afternoon at Midland Field.
Jack Nelson and Aaron Moll each hit a pair of long balls, while Elliot Salcedo and Drew Saylor each hit one as the Bearcats snapped a five-game losing streak. The Bearcats are now 9-33 on the season and 3-17 in C-USA. Saint Louis falls to 12-32 and 3-16.
On the mound, Lampl gave the Bearcats a solid five innings, allowing four runs on six hits, while striking out four and walking four. With the victory, Lampl is now 1-3 on the year. Moll had one of his best offensive days of the season, as in addition to the two homers, he also doubled twice, scored four runs and drove in five. Nelson had three RBI, while Mark Muscenti and Jon DeLuca each had a pair of hits.
?The big difference between yesterday and today was we competed better at the plate,? said Bearcat head coach Brian Cleary. ?The days that Moll and Nelson had definitely gave us a lift. I thought Chase really battled and he kept us in the game. He got himself in trouble with walks and he wasn?t as sharp as he could have been.?
The Bearcats came out of the gates firing once again, jumping to a 4-0 lead after three innings of play. The fireworks started early as Moll launched his first bomb of the day to left with a man on in the second. Saylor added his dinger to lead off the fourth and make it 3-0. UC manufactured its second hit, getting a Moll double just after Saylor?s homer. Following a walk to DeLuca, Salcedo bunted both runners over and Erik Eitel drew a walk to load the bases. Muscenti came through with a sacrifice fly to left that brought UC?s fourth run of the day across.
Saint Louis started to fight its way back into the game in the fifth, plating a pair of runs on a two-run double by Drew Eder. The Bearcats answered the Billikens runs with two of their own in the bottom of the frame, when Nelson led off with a homer and Moll scored on an RBI single by DeLuca.
The sixth inning saw the end of the day for Lampl after he allowed a walk and a single to start the inning. Jeff Griffin replaced Lampl and promptly gave up a sacrifice fly to Casey Moore. Three batters later, Jon Greenwich brought Neil Graser home with a single through the right side that made it a 6-4 ball game.
But UC once again had an answer for the Billikens? runs, as it blew the game open with a five-run sixth inning. Muscenti was hit by a pitch with one out and one out later, Nelson hit his second home run in as many innings with a deep blast to right. Steve Pickerell reached on an error and after a walk to Saylor, Moll made the Billikens pay with a deep shot to left center.
The Billikens once again climbed back into the contest, narrowing the deficit to 11-7 with a three-run seventh inning. Moore had the inning?s big hit with a three-run homer to left.
The Bearcats then put the game out of reach in their half of the seventh when Salcedo led the inning off with a homer and Eitel scored on a passed ball, rounding out the day?s scoring.
Saint Louis was paced at the plate by Aaron Thompson with three hits and Moore?s four RBI. Tim Landy took the loss for the Billikens, giving up five runs and seven hits in four innings to fall to 0-6 on the year.
A series victory will be on the line tomorrow when the Bearcats and Billikens square off, beginning at 1 p.m. Jim Olds will make his first career start on the mound for UC, taking on SLU?s Ryan Bird. A victory for Cincinnati will give them its first series win since the last weekend of the 2002 series, also against Saint Louis.