TicketsUC Scores Comeback Win Over Charlotte, 5-4
Parker, Szarmach provide heroics
Contact: Shawn Sell
4/16/2005
Logan Parker tied Saturday's win over Charlotte with a two-run triple. |
CINCINNATI, Ohio---Cincinnati scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to record a 5-4 comeback win over Charlotte on Saturday afternoon in the UC Baseball Stadium. The win, the Bearcats? fifth in a row, guarantees UC its second straight conference series victory.
Logan Parker and Brian Szarmach provided the heroics in the go-ahead inning for the Bearcats. Parker?s two-run triple down the right field line evened the score at four, while Szarmach followed with the game-winning double to left.
Kyle Markle got the win in relief for the Bearcats, improving to 1-1 on the year and earning his first win since May 3, 2002 also against Charlotte. Josh Kay recorded the last four outs, all on strikeouts to nail down his fourth save of the year.
With the win, Cincinnati improves to 15-16 overall, matching its win total of each of the last two seasons. The Bearcats are 5-8 in Conference USA, good for ninth place in the league standings by percentage points over Charlotte. The 49ers, which have now dropped five straight, falls to 20-14, 5-9 in league play.
?Today we saw another tight, well-played game by both sides,? said Bearcat head coach Brian Cleary. ?We just hung in there and got clutch hits when we needed them. This makes two days in a row where we have had great effort. It was great too to be in such an electric atmosphere in this stadium. The fans really got into it and it made a difference.?
UC broke through for a run in the first inning against Charlotte starter Derek McDaid. With one out Mark Haske singled and moved to second on a single by Jon DeLuca. Parker then lined a single to left center and when 49er centerfielder Chris Lane muffed the ball, Haske raced around to score the game?s first run.
Charlotte started its march back with two runs in the second and one more in the third. Cory Lane ripped his C-USA leading eighth triple of the season into right field, allowing Mike Ambrose and Chris Taylor to come around to score. Adam Willard got in the offensive act for the visitors in the third, driving an RBI double to right that plated O?Brien Taylor.
UC came back to get within 3-2 with a single run in the sixth inning. Jim Olds led the inning off by blasting a triple off the wall in straight away center field, scoring one batter later on an infield single by LaFringe Hayes.
The 49ers took advantage of a pair of Bearcat miscues to score their fourth run in the sixth. With runners on first and second and no one out, Sean Munninghoff?s pick-off attempt at second was wild allowing both runners to move up. Markle replaced Munninghoff on the hill after a strikeout by Taylor, but misplayed a grounder up the middle that allowed a run to score.
The Bearcats started the winning inning off with a single to left by Olds. Hayes laid down a sacrifice bunt that put Olds into scoring position. After an infield single by Haske moved Olds to third, the latter was gunned down at the plate on a slow roller to 49er third baseman Alex Bryant. That brought Parker to the plate and the former junior college star ripped a hard grounder to first base that Spencer Steedley appeared to have a play on until the ball ricocheted off the first base bag and went into the right field corner for a triple that allowed two runs to score. Szarmach followed with a double to left that scored Parker with what would prove to be the winning run.
The drama of the game was far from over as Charlotte knocked on the door in the eighth against Markle. Taylor started the inning with a one out single and Cory Lane followed with a shot to right. UC right fielder Erik Eitel came up throwing and nailed Taylor at third for a crucial second out. Kay then spelled Markle on the mound and struck out pinch-hitter Stephen Harris to end the threat.
Cincinnati pounded out 12 hits, with five of the nine starters recording a pair of knocks. Szarmach led the way with a pair of doubles, while Olds and Parker added triples among their two hits each.
Charlotte got nine hits on the day with Willard and Cory Lane each picking up three. Mike Foard (2-2) took the defeat in relief for the 49ers.
The Bearcats will go for their third sweep of the season when the three-game set wraps up on Sunday at 1 p.m. Kevin Schrader will go on the mound for Cincinnati, taking on Charlotte?s Matt Landphair.