Bearcats Sweep Doubleheader From Morehead State

Bearcats Sweep Doubleheader From Morehead StateBearcats Sweep Doubleheader From Morehead State

May 3, 2006

Box Score | Notes

Game One Boxscore

CINCINNATI, Ohio---Cincinnati used a late comeback in game one, then rode a strong pitching performance from Nick Buscemi in game two to sweep both ends of a doubleheader from Morehead State on Wednesday at the UC Baseball Stadium. The victories, by scores of 12-11 and 4-1, inch the Bearcats closer to the 30-win mark at 29-16.

The Bearcats were forced to rally from an 11-5 sixth inning deficit in the opener of the seven inning contests, capping the comeback with an Adam Yeager walk-off sacrifice fly in the seventh. The nightcap saw Buscemi allow just one run in 6.1 innings of action to complete the sweep.

Logan Parker put together an outstanding day, going 5 for 9 at the plate, with a double, a homer run and six RBI. LaFringe Hayes finished the twinbill with five hits, while Josh Harrison and Adam Yeager each had with four.

Morehead State (15-27) saw Ryan Kinder go 4 for 4 with two homers and six RBI in the opener, but UC limited him to 0 for 3 in the finale. Nick Bobrowski and Paul Rhodes each collected two first game hits, but were held to just one by the former in game two.

Cincinnati opened the day with a bang, scoring three runs in the first inning of the opener. Hayes led off with a double and after three straight singles, the Bearcats had a 2-0 lead. UC stretched it to three when Eagle right fielder Trent Hanna dropped a Mark Muscenti fly ball for an error. MSU cut the deficit to 3-1 in the second on Nick Nail's RBI single but were on the wrong end of a 5-1 margin after Cincinnati put two more up in the second. Harrison drove both of the runs in when he laced a double to right that scored Yeager and Hayes.

Morehead State would come to life in the third, opening a stretch of six runs in two innings that drew the visitors in front 7-5. Bobrowski started the inning off with a single and scored on a Rhodes double. Adam Calez then retired two straight hitters, but served up a two-run blast by Kinder that brought the Eagles within a run. In the sixth, MSU loaded the bases with two outs and Donald Cheney drew the count to 3-2 against Calez. With the runners in motion on the pitch, Cheney ripped a single to right center that drove home all three runs and chased Calez.

Bobrowski made the defensive play of the game in the bottom of the fourth, further keeping the momentum with the Eagles. With runners on first and second and no one out, Parker hammered a Josh Barnes offering to deep center that appeared destined for extra bases. But Bobrowski made an incredible over the shoulder catch with his back to home plate to rob Parker. UC would go on to leave the bases loaded in the inning.

Morehead seemed to put the game away in the top of the sixth when Kinder connected on his second homer, this one a grand slam against Matt Heber that pushed the Eagles in front 11-5. Cincinnati would rally though, sending 12 batters to the plate as part of a five-run sixth. Harrison led off with his second double of the game, and scored when Parker hammered a mammoth home run to right. After reliever Tyler Lee retired two straight, the wheels fell and an RBI single by Yeager and back-to-back bases loaded walks to Hayes and Harrison brought UC to within 11-10. Mark Rhodes took over on the mound and got the dangerous Parker to ground out to second to end the threat.

In the final inning, UC drove the two game-winning runs in without the benefit of a base hit. Jack Nelson drew a lead-off walk and then Rhodes hit two straight batters to load the bases. Szarmach worked a walk that forced Nelson in, setting the stage for Yeager's game-winning sacrifice fly.

A.J. Upton came on in the top of the seventh and pitched a scoreless inning to pick up the win and improve to 2-1. Rhodes took the loss, falling to 1-2.

Game two got off to much the same start as Hayes led off with a single and two singles later, UC had a 1-0 lead. Nelson then tallied an RBI with a groundout that put the Bearcats up 2-0 after one frame.

Morehead would get what would prove to be its only run in the second when Eric Parker, high school teammate of Bearcat pitcher Steve Blevins, drove an RBI single up the middle. Cincinnati tacked on run number three in its half of the second when Parker recorded his second RBI single in as many innings.

From there, the story was Buscemi who avoided trouble through much of the game, including working out of a bases loaded one-out jam in the fifth. UC tacked on an insurance run in the sixth when Parker ripped a run-scoring double that plated Nick Maragas.

In the seventh, Buscemi walked lead-off hitter Parker, but the runner was erased on a fielder's choice. UC head coach Brian Cleary elected to turn the pitching chores over to Nelson and it took the Bearcat senior just two pitches to induce a game-ending 1-6-3 double play off the bat of pinch-hitter Hanna.

Buscemi (2-1) got the win after pitching a career-high 6.1 innings and matching his career-best with five strikeouts. Nelson gathered his third save of the year.

Morehead starter Brendon Smith was the hard luck loser, falling to 1-1 after allowing three runs on eight hits with four strikeouts in five innings of work.

Cincinnati now faces another important BIG EAST series, traveling to Villanova this weekend for a three-game set. Action gets underway on Friday with first pitch set for 4 p.m.