TicketsApril 9, 2008
DAYTON, Ohio--The University of Cincinnati scored three runs in the fifth inning and used three more runs in the sixth inning en route to a 9-5 victory at Wright State on Wednesday night. The win marked the fifth-straight for Cincinnati and gave it consecutive non-conference wins in back-to-back nights.
Cincinnati opened the scoring with two runs in the first at-bat of the evening. With one away, Jamel Scott singled and moved into scoring position with a steal of second base. A double by Josh Harrison scored Scott for the first run. Two batters later, Mike Spina singled to score Harrison and make it a 2-0 UC lead.
The Bearcats (17-11) maintained the two-run cushion until starting pitcher Nick Johnson found trouble in the fourth inning. Johnson allowed the Raiders to score three times on five hits before being pulled in favor of Matt Heber. Heber recorded the third and final out of the fourth to stop the charge.
Cincinnati came right back with more offense in the fifth inning. Harrison reached on a base hit to set the stage for Kevin Johnson. The tall, left-handed batter pulled a home run, his fourth of the season, down the right field line to put UC back in front, 4-3. After a fly out, Spina knocked a home run of his own to give Cincinnati a two-run advantage, 5-3. Spina's homer marked his third in as many games.
Wright State (12-15) did not go quietly, bouncing back for two runs on its own in the bottom of the fifth. Heber walked the first batter of the frame, allowed a single and then a throwing error allowed the first run to score. A sacrifice fly by the next batter knotted the game, at 5.
It was the Bearcats' turn to strike back in the sixth inning. Nick Rohlfs induced a leadoff walk and Tony Campana and Scott followed with hits to load the bases. Rohlfs scored and Campana moved to third on a double play that gave UC a one-run edge, 6-5. Then, Campana came home on a wild pitch. Following a walk to Kevin Johnson and a single by Cameron Satterwhite, Spina came through with another base hit to score Johnson and make it an 8-5 advantage.
Brian Sand took the mound for the Bearcats in place of Heber (1-0) in the bottom of the sixth and worked three scoreless innings of relief.
UC added an additional insurance run in the eighth inning when Harrison singled and moved to second on a wild pitch. He scored on Satterwhite's single up the middle to set the count, at 9-5.
Tyler Smith replaced Sand in time to throw the first pitch of the bottom of the ninth inning for UC. Smith sandwiched a strikeout between a walk and a hit batter before giving way to Jake Geglein. Following a four-pitch walk, Geglein retired the next two batters to record his fifth save of the season.
The Bearcats carry their five-game win streak into a BIG EAST Conference three-game series this weekend against Pittsburgh. Friday's series opener at Marge Schott Stadium is slated to get underway at 6:30 p.m.
--GoBEARCATS.com--