TicketsBearcat Rally Falls Just Short At USM
UC drops 7-6 heartbreaker
Contact: Shawn Sell
3/25/2005
Logan Parker had three hits and two RBI at Southern Miss. |
HATTIESBURG, Miss.---A late Cincinnati rally came up just 90 feet short as the Bearcats dropped a 7-6 decision to Southern Miss in Conference USA baseball action on Friday night at Pete Taylor Park.
After cutting their deficit to one with three eighth inning runs, the Bearcats put the potential tying run on base when Mark Muscenti grounded a lead-off single to left. Erik Eitel successfully bunted him to second and Muscenti took third on a deep fly ball to right center off the bat of Mark Haske. But a slicing fly ball to right by Jon DeLuca was grabbed by a sliding Jody Blount to preserve the victory for Southern Miss.
The Golden Eagles improve to 16-5 and 2-2 in C-USA with the win, while the Bearcats are 9-10 overall and 0-4 in league play. Mike Cashion got the win for Southern Miss, improving to 3-1, while Tony Maynard took the loss for UC, falling to 3-1. Daniel Best pitched the last two innings for his sixth save.
Logan Parker led the Bearcat offense with three hits and two RBI, while Jack Nelson had two RBI and Eitel registered two hits. David Steele paced the Golden Eagles with two hits and three RBI and Marc Maddox added two hits, including his ninth homer.
?We got off to a rough start on the mound, but the bullpen did a great job of keeping us in the game,? said Bearcat head coach Brian Cleary. ?We just couldn?t score in the middle innings and we just really struggled to get anything going. But it was a good, tight game.?
UC got off to a hot start as LaFringe Hayes led off with a walk and a steal of second base. Two batters later, Nelson drew a walk and Parker made Cashion pay by blasting a two-run double up the right centerfield ally. Brian Szarmach followed with an RBI single that put the Bearcats in front 3-0. The inning did provide a scary moment for the Bearcats as Hayes was forced from the game with a shoulder injury after sliding into second head first.
Maddox gave Maynard a rude greeting in the bottom of the inning as he ripped a home run down the left field line. Southern Miss cut its deficit to one run when Brad Wilcutt scampered home on a ground out by Steele.
The third inning proved to be Cincinnati?s downfall as nine Southern Miss batters came to the plate, leading to five runs and the end of the day for Maynard. A lead off single by Trey Sutton and back-to-back walks loaded the bases for Steele and he brought the home crowd to its feet with a two-run, go-ahead single to center. Southern Miss got two more runs on a throwing error by Haske and Drew Carson?s sacrifice fly made it a 7-3 game.
After Maynard left the game, UC?s bullpen turned in an outstanding performance, shutting out the Golden Eagles for five innings and allowing just three hits. Included in the group of hurlers was Jack Nelson, who made his first appearance on the mound since March 23, 2004. Nelson was solid, allowing just one hit in two innings of work.
Cincinnati hopped on the comeback trail in the eighth, chasing Cashion and reliever Rob Burns. Eitel and Haske led off with consecutive singles and after Cashion hit DeLuca to load the bases, Burns replaced Cashion on the hill. Nelson blooped a two-run single down the left field line and following a single by Parker, Best spelled Burns. The USM closer struck out Szarmach, but a fielder?s choice by Beltz cut the Eagle lead to 7-6. Best recovered to strike out pinch-hitter Neall French and end the UC threat.
UC will try to snap its four-game C-USA losing streak when it returns to Pete Taylor Park for a 3 p.m. CT contest tomorrow. Sean Munninghoff will take the mound for the Bearcats, being opposed by Matt Caire.