TicketsMay 16, 2006
CINCINNATI, Ohio---Miami (Ohio) used a six-run sixth inning to take a lead it would never relinquish and hand Cincinnati its sixth straight loss, a 7-6 setback on Tuesday night at the UC Baseball Stadium. The Bearcats had one final chance to tie the game, but left the tying run on third base in the ninth.
The RedHawks (28-23) sent all nine of their hitters to the plate in the sixth, taking advantage of a costly UC error to rally in front. Brandon Hillier delivered the game-winning hit, lining an Evan Sanford offering to left center for a two-run double.
Cincinnati (30-23) got three hits each from freshmen Josh Harrison and Adam Yeager. Nick Maragas had a pair of hits, while Logan Parker tied the UC single game record by drawing four walks. Bryan Wood (0-1) was tagged with the loss, after being charged with five runs (three earned) in 1.1 innings of work.
Hillier burnt the Bearcats for four hits and a pair of RBI. Jason Brown added two hits and two RBI for Miami. Jeff Day (2-4) worked 2.1 shutout innings of relief to pick up the win, while Matt Long earned his eighth save after working the ninth.
"Tonight, we just fell victim to a big inning and a couple of plays really hurt us," UC head coach Brian Cleary stated. "I thought we played OK, but the story was that one bad inning."
Cincinnati took the lead in the third inning as a Jack Nelson sacrifice fly scored Harrison. Miami answered in the fourth when Brown ripped a run-scoring double to left to plate Eric Darlage. The Bearcats went right back in front in their half of the fourth, as Cory Hodskins banged a double off the wall in left center that drove in Yeager.
UC looked to break the game open with a three-run fifth that staked the home team to a 5-1 lead. A Harrison single and a Parker walk put two runners on with no one out for Nelson. UC executed a perfect hit and run as Nelson drilled a single to right that scored Harrison and sent Parker to third. After a walk to Brian Szarmach loaded the bases, Yeager hit into a double play, but Parker was able to score on the play. Maragas kept the rally going, lining a run-scoring double inside the left field line that put the Bearcats in front by four.
The wheels came off the Cincinnati ship in the sixth as a hit batter and a Chris Niro double put runners on second and third with no one out. Wood bounced back to strike out Darlage and looked to have the second out after coaxing Eric Radley to bounce to short. But Yeager's throw pulled Parker off the bag, allowing Jordan Petraitis to score. Brown followed with his second run-scoring double of the night, pulling Miami to within 5-3. Wood then walked Evan Armitage to spell the end of his day in favor of Sanford. Hillier greeted Sanford by blasting a two-run double over Szarmach's head and he ultimately came in to score on a Sanford wild pitch.
Cincinnati had chances in both the seventh and eight innings, but left the bases loaded in the former and two men on in the latter. In the ninth, UC has forced to face the fire-balling Long, one of the top closers in the nation. Szarmach drew a walk to start and Yeager and Maragas followed with consecutive singles. Pinch-hitter Kyle Rapp then hit into a double play, but Szarmach was able to score to make it 7-6. With the tying run just 90 feet away, Hodskins popped up the first Long pitch he saw for the final out of the night.
The Bearcats now face the final series of the 2006 season, beginning on Thursday at home vs. St. John's. UC must win one of the three games or rely on help from other teams to clinch a berth in next week's BIG EAST Tournament.