TicketsApril 14, 2006
CINCINNATI, Ohio---A heavy thunderstorm moved into the Cincinnati-area, causing the postponement of the Bearcats' BIG EAST baseball match-up with Rutgers on Friday night. The game, currently in the top of the seventh inning with Rutgers leading 8-3, will be restarted at 10 a.m. on Saturday (April 15). The regularly scheduled contest will start approximately 30 minutes following the conclusion of the restarted game.
Friday night's contest turned into an extra-base hit fest as Rutgers had six and Cincinnati five through six-plus innings. Bearcat starter Dan Osterbrock got his second career start off on a good note as he retired eight of the first nine batters he faced, before running into trouble in the third. The downfall started with a Jeff Grose single and continued when Victor Cegles drove a double to right center to plate the latter. A costly UC fielding error allowed Frank Meade, ranked second in the BIG EAST in homers, an opportunity at the plate and he delivered his ninth long ball of the year, a towering blast down the left field line. The Scarlet Knights made it 5-0 when Mike Bionde lifted a sacrifice fly to center in the bottom of the fourth.
After being held to just one hit in their first three innings, the Bearcats finally broke through against Rutgers starter Matt Pustay in the fourth. Josh Harrison led off with a double, bringing Jack Nelson to the plate. UC's senior DH connected on his third home run of the Week and fifth of the season, a high blast over the right center field wall. One out later, Nick Maragas and Adam Yeager singled, but a Brian Szarmach fly ball equaled out number two. LaFringe Hayes gave UC another hope for runs when he reached on a fielder's choice as Rutgers unsuccessfully went for the out at second. But Postay got Mark Muscenti to fly out to squelch the threat.
Rutgers continued its offensive production in the fifth as back-to-back doubles by Todd Frazier and Frank Meade made it a 6-2 game. Cincinnati got a lead off homer from Harrison to start the fifth, just prior to Logan Parker banging his BIG EAST leading sixth triple off the center field wall. Nelson then drove a grounder to second and was thrown out at first as Parker tried to dash home for another run. But Parker was ruled out on a bang-bang play at the plate, leaving UC without its fourth run.
The Knights scored two more times in the sixth, with a pair of Cincinnati errors leading to the Bearcats' undoing. Bionde tallied an RBI single and a dropped foul ball by Muscenti and a muffed grounder by Parker, set the stage for a Frazier run-scoring fielder's choice that made it 8-3.
When play resumes, the Scarlet Knights will have runners on first and second with one out in the top of the seventh, facing relief pitcher Adam Calez.