TicketsBearcats Finish Sweep Of Duke, 6-3
Munninghoff earns first career win
Contact: Shawn Sell
2/20/2005
Sean Munninghoff earned his first career win on Sunday at Duke. |
DURHAM, N.C.---Cincinnati got five strong innings from freshman Sean Munninghoff and four players drove in runs as the Bearcats finished off a sweep of Duke, 6-3 on Sunday afternoon at Jack Coombs Field. The victory evens the Bearcats record at 3-3 on the year.
After falling behind by a run early, UC rallied with three runs in the third to take a lead they would not relinquish. The Bearcats added a single run in the fourth and two more in the sixth to put the game away. Duke rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth, but saw its late comeback come up short for the second straight day.
Munninghoff (1-1) earned the first win of his collegiate career, allowing just one run on three hits in five-plus innings of work. Josh Kay followed Mike Foley to the mound and worked the last 2.2 innings, striking out four and yielding Duke?s two ninth inning markers.
Duke got on the scoreboard in the second inning when Bryan Smith recorded an RBI groundout. Cincinnati tied the game on a Mark Haske single and went ahead on an RBI double by Jon DeLuca, followed by a run-scoring single by Jack Nelson.
In the fourth, Brian Beltz blasted his first career home run to deep right to put the Bearcats in front by a 4-1 score. The sixth inning produced two more Bearcat runs when a Duke fielding error allowed Logan Parker and Brain Szarmach to scamper home.
Duke rallied in the ninth on a two-run triple to left center by Corey Whiting that plated Jimmy Gallagher and Brett Bartles. But Kay recovered to strike out pinch-hitter Josh Albert before getting Adam Murray to fly out to left to end it.
UC put nine hits on the board with Haske and DeLuca each accounting for two. Bartles collected two of Duke?s seven hits.
Duke starter Greg Burke took the loss, falling to 2-2 on the year. The Blue Devil senior returned on three days rest after starting at UNC-Wilmington on Wednesday. Burke allowed six runs (four earned) on eight hits, without walking a batter and striking out four.
UC will look to extend its winning streak next weekend when they return to the state of North Carolina for a three-game series at Wake Forest.