TicketsUAB Homers Spoil UC Stadium Opening
Blazers drop Bearcats in first game
Contact: Shawn Sell
5/20/2004
Brian Beltz had two hits and two RBI in Thursday's loss to UAB. |
CINCINNATI, Ohio?The first game in the UC Baseball Stadium turned into a home run show for visiting UAB as the Blazers hit five long balls to top Cincinnati 14-3 on Thursday night in Conference USA baseball action. The game was played before an estimated crowd of 2,200 at the Bearcats? brand new state-of-the art facility. The crowd was one of the biggest ever to witness a UC baseball game.
The Blazers busted out of the gates early, plating three runs in the second and two more in the third to put the Bearcats in an early hole. Jeff Brown was outstanding on the mound for UAB, hurling a complete game and allowing only six hits in improving to 5-5 on the year. The victory, which drops the Blazers? magic number to one for a guaranteed spot in the conference tournament, improves their record to 27-26 overall and 12-15 in league play. The Bearcats are now 14-39 overall and 5-23 in league play.
?There was just an unbelievable atmosphere here tonight, the fans were great,? said Bearcat head coach Brian Cleary. ?Not only were there lots of fans here, but they were really enthusiastic. The atmosphere was just electric. I thought (Aaron) Moll did a good job of competing even though he didn?t have his best stuff.?
Zac Ward took advantage of a one out error by Mark Muscenti in the second inning as following another putout, he banged his fifth home run of the season to deep left center with two runners on to push the Blazers ahead 3-0 early on. UAB got two more in the third inning when Nathan McCorkle reached on a fielder?s choice with the bases loaded and Cole Helms followed with an RBI single off of starting pitcher Aaron Moll.
The Bearcats brought the home crowd to life in their half of the third, cutting the deficit to two with a three-run outburst. Drew Saylor walked to lead off the inning and went all the way to third when Brown?s errant pickoff attempt bounded all the way into right field. Pat LeMasters followed with a single to left center that Saylor trotted home on and Erik Eitel then reached on an infield single. Muscenti came up next and dropped a sacrifice bunt that moved up both runners and set the stage for Brian Beltz. The redshirt freshman outfielder, who in the first inning picked up the first hit by a UC player with a single, got another base hit, driving in both runs and making it a 5-3 game.
From there, the Blazer long ball brigade started as they cracked four more long balls over the balance of the game. Seth Rollin got the ball rolling with a two-run blast in the fifth that also brought home Jeremy Moran. Both Josh Miljavac and Daniel Hill hit solo homers in the sixth with Hill?s blast spelling the end of the day for Moll on the mound. UAB poured five more on the board in the eighth inning, starting with Miljavac?s RBI double and wrapping up with the first grand slam in stadium history, with the honors going to McCorkle.
Moll took the loss for UC, falling to 3-6 in what is probably the last pitching outing of the senior?s career. He allowed nine runs, but only six were earned, on seven hits, while walking five and striking out five. Brown registered six strikeouts against only one walk for UAB.
Miljavac was one of many offensive stars for UAB, going 3-for-5 with two RBI. McCorkle ended with five RBI, while both Hill and Ward had two hits with the latter picking up three RBI. Both Beltz and Eitel had two hits for the Bearcats, while LeMasters earned the first RBI for the Bearcats in the facility.
The two teams will resume their C-USA series on Friday night back at the stadium. First pitch is set for 7:30 p.m. with Chase Lampl taking the mound for UC against UAB?s Adam Price.