TicketsBearcats Win Season Finale, 7-4
DeLuca homer puts UC ahead to stay
Contact: Shawn Sell
5/22/2004
Jon DeLuca hit the go-ahead homer in UC's 7-4 win over UAB on Saturday. |
CINCINNATI, Ohio---Jon DeLuca hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning to put Cincinnati ahead and lead the Bearcats to their first ever win in UC Baseball Stadium, a 7-4 decision over UAB on the last day of the 2004 season.
The win ends the Bearcats? season with a 15-40 overall record and a 6-24 mark in Conference USA. Despite the defeat, UAB will still play in next week?s C-USA Tournament, entering the event with a 28-27 overall and 13-16 in C-USA.
Trailing 4-3 entering the sixth inning, the Bearcats got a one out single by Aaron Moll just before Drew Saylor reached on a fielding error. That set the stage for DeLuca and his game-winning homer, the fifth long ball of the season for the sophomore. DeLuca ended the day with three hits, missing the cycle by just a triple, while scoring twice and driving in four. Mark Muscenti, Jack Nelson, Moll and Saylor all accounted for two hits each for the Bearcats.
Tony Maynard was once again outstanding on the mound, taking over for Jim Olds who also gave the Bearcats a quality outing. Maynard threw the last 3.1 innings, allowing just two hits and a walk, while striking out two to finish the season with a 3-6 record.
?It was certainly nice to get our first win in the new stadium and end the season on a high note,? said Bearcat head coach Brian Cleary. ?I thought we played pretty well. We played good defense and really swung the bats well. It was good to go out like that at the end of the season. I thought the difference today was that Jim and Tony got ahead in the count and made key pitches. They competed well and made great pitches when they needed to.?
Cincinnati struck first in the contest, taking its first lead of the series with a pair of runs in the second inning. Saylor led the inning off with a single and DeLuca followed with a double to left. After UAB hurler Eric Roberts retired two straight, Muscenti came up with a clutch two-out double to right that plated both runners.
On the mound, Olds had the Blazers stifled as he didn?t allow a hit until the fourth inning. It was then that UAB got on the board though, as they rallied with two outs for a trio of runs to take the lead. Daniel Hill started with a walk and Nathan McCorkle followed with a single. Cole Helms then blasted a three-run homer to left that put UAB ahead for the first time in the game.
UC came right back to tie the game in the last half of the inning, getting a Brian Dill RBI groundout that brought Drew Saylor across. UAB retook the lead for the final time in the sixth on Jeremy Moran?s sacrifice fly. Seth Rollin followed with a double that ended Olds? day and brought on Maynard. The junior promptly got out of the inning, retiring Zac Ward.
Olds? final line showed 5.2 innings of work, allowing four runs on six hits. The Bearcats? most versatile player walked one on the day while striking out two.
Following DeLuca?s sixth inning homer, the Bearcats rounded out the day?s scoring in the eighth inning, once again courtesy of a DeLuca RBI. Moll led the inning off with a single and moved to second on Saylor?s sac bunt. DeLuca greeted new pitcher Ryan Huffman rather rudely with a single up the middle, but Huffman got Dill to ground into an inning ending double play.
Helms paced the Blazer offense on the day with a double, a homer and three RBI. Levi Patmon also added two hits for UAB. Jacob Legg took the loss for UAB after allowing DeLuca?s homer to fall to 3-4 on the year.
Despite a 0-for-4 day, Steve Pickerell ended the 2004 season as the Bearcats leading hitter at .375. He was followed closely by Nelson?s .360 mark, while both Saylor and Moll ended the season at .311.