TicketsBearcats Lose Wild One To TCU, 15-13
Parker drives in seven in defeat
Contact: Shawn Sell
5/8/2005
Logan Parker had seven RBI on Sunday vs. TCU. |
CINCINNATI, Ohio---Cincinnati jumped to an 11-1 lead, but TCU made a dramatic comeback to take a 15-13 win over the Bearcats in a wild Conference USA series finale on Sunday in the UC Baseball Stadium.
The Bearcats opened the 10-run advantage after three full innings, only to see TCU score 14 straight runs to take the lead. The Frogs? Shelby Ford completed the cycle with a two-run homer in the eighth inning to put the visitors ahead to stay. TCU, ranked 28th nationally this week, improves to 34-15 overall and 17-7 in league play. Cincinnati is 21-25, 8-15 C-USA.
The defeat overshadowed a huge offensive day for Logan Parker. Parker missed hitting for the cycle by just a single, recording three hits and a career-high seven RBI. Mark Muscenti had three hits, while four others players picked up two each as UC totaled 16 on the day.
Chad Huffman joined Ford with four hits, as TCU hammered out 23 hits on the day. Six other TCU players had at least two hits, while Austin Adams drove in four runs and Matt McGuirk and Keith Conlon knocked in three apiece.
UC came out of the gates firing as Parker blasted an RBI double high off the center field wall in the first. The Bearcats exploded for six more runs in the second, as 11 UC players came to the plate. Jack Nelson got the inning rolling with his first homer of the year and a costly error by Stuart Musslewhite led to five more Bearcat runs. Mark Haske then ripped a two-run single, setting the stage for Parker who launched a three-run homer over the scoreboard in right to give the Bearcats a 7-0 lead.
TCU got one of the markers back in the third as Conlon knocked an RBI single to right center that plated Ford. But the Bearcats kept the runs coming in their half of the third, scoring four more times. Parker again had the big hit of the inning, knocking a bases loaded triple off the right field wall.
But from there, the Frogs kept the Bearcat bats in check, while beginning to chip away at the deficit. TCU scored four times in the fifth, two on bases loaded walks. McGuirk picked up an RBI double in the frame, while Musslewhite had a run-scoring single.
TCU got another run in the sixth on Conlon?s second RBI single of the afternoon. The Frogs then drew to within 11-10 with a four-spot in the seventh. With two outs, the Frogs got back-to-back singles, and then drove both runs home when McGuirk drilled a triple off the right center field wall. Conlon followed with an RBI double and Adams then tallied a run-scoring single to make it a one-run ball game.
The Frogs last explosion of the day came in the eighth, as TCU plated five go-ahead runs. Ford put the Frogs ahead with his two-run homer and Adams came to the plate later in the frame, coming up with a key three-run blast of his own.
UC tried valiantly to come back in the eighth, scoring twice but leaving the bases loaded. DeLuca and Nelson started the frame off with singles and one out later, Jim Olds walked to load the bases. After Omar Arif retired LaFringe Hayes, he hit Mark Muscenti to force in a run. Haske then beat out an infield single for his third RBI of the day.
Shawn Ferguson picked up the win for TCU, improving to 2-2 after three innings of work. Chad Underwood struck out the side in the ninth for his second save. Kyle Markle was pinned with the loss, falling to 1-2 on the season.
The Bearcats must now gear up for rivalry week, as both Miami and Xavier will visit the UC Baseball Stadium this week. The next-to-last C-USA series of the year will take place next weekend as Memphis comes to town for a three-game set.