TicketsMay 11, 2008
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J.---Michael Hill tossed a complete game three-hitter, striking out 10 along the way, to help Cincinnati wrap up a series clinching victory over Seton Hall, 7-1, on Sunday afternoon at Owen T. Carroll Field. With just one weekend of BIG EAST play remaining, UC (32-19, 16-8 BIG EAST) sits alone in third place in the league standings.
Hill turned in a brilliant performance on the mound, registering a career-high in strikeouts and not allowing a hit after the fifth inning. Along the way, the junior walked just one, while retiring the final 13 hitters of the game in a row. He improves to 4-3 on the year with the victory. Hill also did something no UC pitcher had done since 1999 when he struck out four hitters in the fourth inning after one hitter reached first base after a wild pitch on strike three.
The offensive punch was provided by junior Tyler Goodro, who homered and doubled, while driving in two. Leading by just a 2-1 count entering the seventh inning, the Bearcats touched the Pirates' bullpen for five runs in the frame to pull away. Tony Campana, Jamel Scott and Cameron Satterwhite added two hits apiece for UC in the contest.
Seton Hall scratched out the first run of the day in the second when Chris Affinito led off with a single, moved up on a sacrifice bunt and scored one out later on a Matt Skopak single. The second inning would prove to be the only trouble that Hill would find as he escaped a two-out, two men on situation by getting Dan Lopez to fly out.
Cincinnati evened the score in the fourth on Goodro's sixth home run of the campaign, a shot over the left field wall. The Bearcats went ahead to stay two innings later as Mike Spina led off with a double and later scored on a Kevin Johnson single.
After getting a pair of runs and seven hits against Seton Hall starter Luis Fernandez (2-3), UC beat up on three Pirate relievers in the big five-run seventh inning. Chris Peters singled and Campana walked, leaving Scott with a sacrifice bunt chance that SHU catcher Skopak botched for an error loading the bases. UC then scored on four straight at-bats with Josh Harrison hitting a single, Spina drawing a walk, Satterwhite ripping a single and Ryan Baker lifting a sacrifice fly. The Bearcats rounded out the scoring with a Goodro single to right that plated Spina.
Meanwhile, Hill was dominating the Pirates on the mound. After the second inning jam, Hill yielded only a two-out single to left by A.J. Rusbarsky in the fifth before mowing down the final 13. The complete game was the second of the year for Hill.
UC will next face its final non-conference game of the year on Tuesday night, hosting Wright State at 6:30 p.m. BIG EAST play gets back underway on Thursday with the opening of a three-game set against West Virginia.