TicketsBearcats Pound Tigers For C-USA Win
Munninghoff dominant in UC victory
Contact: Shawn Sell
5/14/2005
Sean Munninghoff struck out 12 Memphis hitters in Saturday night's win. |
CINCINNATI, Ohio---On Senior Night at the UC Baseball Stadium, it was freshman Sean Munninghoff that stole the show as his career-best pitching performance led Cincinnati to a 10-2 win over Memphis on Saturday. The victory clinches the fifth series win of the year for the Bearcats.
Munninghoff dominated the Tigers for seven innings, allowing just one run on three hits, but more impressively striking out a career-best 12 batters. The win evens Munnighoff?s record at 4-4 and pushes UC to 24-26 overall and 10-15 in Conference USA play. A second straight loss by USF to Southern Miss moves the Bearcats within two games of the Bulls in the fight for the eighth and final tournament berth. Memphis falls to 11-39, 4-22 C-USA with the defeat.
While Munninghoff did the job on the mound, their were plenty of offensive heroes as well. Logan Parker had UC?s first five-hit game of the year with two doubles and three singles, while LaFringe Hayes added four hits. Mark Haske hit the third Bearcat grand slam in the last eight games, which was also his third longball of the year.
?I think its safe to say we are playing our best baseball of the season right now,? said Bearcat head coach Brian Cleary. ?I think that?s the goal of every coach, to be playing your best at the end of the year. The effort that Sean gave us tonight was outstanding; he really did a great job.?
Behind Parker?s timely hitting, UC got on the board with a first inning run. Haske was on first base after a two-out walk and with the hit and run on, the Bearcats? speedy shortstop was able to score all the way from first on Parker?s single to right center. UC made it a 2-0 ballgame when Jack Nelson ripped his second home run of the year down the right field line with one out.
After cruising through the first two innings, Munninghoff suddenly struggled to find the plate in the third. The freshman sandwiched two walks around a fly ball out, but after two wild pitches and a sacrifice fly, it was suddenly a one-run ball game. That prompted a visit by Cleary, making his first trip to the mound this year. Whatever Cleary said clearly worked as Munninghoff retired K.K. Chalmers to end the inning. From there, he retired eight of the next nine hitters he faced, five by strikeout.
UC broke the game open in the last of the third as all nine Bearcats batted, scoring four runs in the frame. Haske and Parker led off with back-to-back doubles, with Parker going to third on a ground out. Jim Olds then drew a walk, before stealing second to put two runners in scoring position. With two outs, senior Erik Eitel came up big, drilling a two-run single up the middle to make it a 5-1 ballgame. Eitel then moved to second on a walk to Kevin Schrader and scored on Hayes? RBI single.
The fifth inning saw the Bearcats load the bases with three straight singles and after an out at the plate, Haske ripped his grand slam over the right center field wall to make it a nine-run game.
In the seventh, Munninghoff started to tire, loading the bases with two outs. He came through big, however, getting Alex Fennell to bounce into an inning-ending fielder?s choice. Mike Foley took over in the eighth, and struck out four in two innings of work. Memphis did score its last run in the ninth as Patrick Hope?s sacrifice fly rounded out the night?s scoring.
Munninghoff?s 12 strikeouts were the most by a Bearcat pitcher this year and marked the first time a UC hurler struck out at least 10 since Chad Pennington got 10 vs. Saint Louis on May 18, 2002. Parker?s five hits were also the most by a Bearcat since Nelson tallied five on April 16, 2004 vs. East Carolina.
The Bearcats will go for the series sweep when UC celebrates Glenn Sample Day on Sunday. Prior to the contest, the walkway located behind the UC Baseball Stadium grandstand will be dedicated to Sample, the legendary baseball coach at UC for many years. On the mound, Justin Minges will draw the start for the Bearcats. Memphis has not yet announced its starter.