TicketsUC Wraps Up Home Slate With Win Over EKU
Bearcats score 8-4 victory over Colonels
Contact: Shawn Sell
5/17/2005
LaFringe Hayes had three hits and two stolen bases vs. EKU. |
CINCINNATI, Ohio---Five different players had at least two hits and Bryan Wood pitched four shutout innings as Cincinnati captured an 8-4 win over Eastern Kentucky in the Bearcats? home finale on Tuesday night in the UC Baseball Stadium.
Wood, making his first start in over two years, allowed just one hit during his four-inning stint on the mound, while striking out four EKU hitters. The junior improves to 3-1 on the year with the victory. Josh Kay got the final two outs for his ninth save of the year.
The Bearcats, who must sweep USF this weekend to qualify for next week?s Conference USA Tournament presented by POWERade, are 25-27 on the season. Eastern Kentucky falls to 21-28 with the defeat.
Offensively, the Bearcats touched Colonel pitching for 13 hits, including three by LaFringe Hayes. UC?s lead-off man and centerfield also added a pair of walks, two runs scored and two stolen bases. Logan Parker, Jon DeLuca, Jim Olds and Erik Eitel added two hits apiece for the Bearcats.
?This was a good win for us,? stated Bearcat head coach Brian Cleary. ?The pitchers did a really nice job of allowing only six hits and I thought we swung the bats really well. I also thought we got a great outing from Bryan Wood and the bullpen was excellent as well.?
UC jumped out of the gates early, scoring a first inning run on a Parker RBI single, then batting around and scoring four times in the second. Olds led the second off with a single then came all the way around to score on Jack Nelson?s triple down the right field line. Eitel quickly plated Nelson with a single through the left side. UC then drew three straight walks with Mark Muscenti?s forcing in the fourth run of the game. With the bases still loaded, Mark Haske bounced into a fielder?s choice, but Dustin Alvey was able to score on the play.
The Bearcats continued to pound Colonel pitching in the fourth, scoring three more runs. Hayes led off with an infield single then went to second on a stolen base. Haske then drove Hayes home with a double into the right field corner and moved to third on Parker?s second hit of the night. DeLuca then ripped a screamer to short that he beat out, allowing Haske to score. UC then tried a double steal, but DeLuca got hung up between first and second, however Parker was able to race home with the fifth run of the night.
Eastern Kentucky finally got a run in the sixth inning against Brian Beltz, taking advantage of a lead-off single by Derrick Bussell. After singling through the right side, Bussell moved to second on a ground out, stole third, then came home on an RBI ground out by Bryan Stevenson.
The Colonels got another run in the seventh with Joe Oliver scoring on Adam Visnic?s RBI grounder. With Kevin Schrader pitching in the eighth, Bussell again led off with a single, before stealing second. He was able to make it an 8-3 game when Brett Bolger singled to left. Bolger moved up to second on Eitel?s throw to the plate, then went to third when the latter?s throw skipped away from Olds. Stevenson added his second RBI groundout one hitter later to end the night?s scoring.
The Bearcats should great improvement on the base paths as they stole a season-best six bases on the night, including two by Hayes. Parker also extended his streak of games with at least one RBI to seven in a row. Olds? second inning single continued to improve his career-long hit streak, increasing it to 10 in a row.
Bussell led the Colonel attack with three hits and three stolen bases. Stevenson picked up a pair of RBI for the Colonels. Shane Zegarac took the loss for EKU, surrendering five runs and five hits in an inning-plus of work.
UC?s series with USF begins on Thursday in Tampa, with a 7 p.m. first pitch. Friday?s game two will also start at 7 p.m., with Saturday?s finale set to begin at 1 p.m.