TicketsFeb. 21, 2009
CLEARWATER, Fla. - The University of Cincinnati's baseball team fell to the University of Michigan 6-1 in its second game of the BIG EAST/Big Ten Baseball Challenge Saturday afternoon at Bright House Networks Field. Cincinnati (0-2) equaled Michigan (3-0) with nine hits, but the Wolverines recorded 16 strikeouts in the win.
Junior Jamel Scott (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Scioto) went 4-for-5 from the plate, the second four-hit game of his career, and added a stolen base, while junior Lance Durham (Forest Park, Ohio/Roger Bacon) went 1-for-3 and drove in the lone Bearcat run.
Michigan got on the board quickly scoring three runs in the first inning. The key plate appearance in the inning came off the bat of Nick Urban as he drilled a two-run, two-out single into center field, upping the Wolverine advantage to 3-0.
Cincinnati had its opportunities in the second and fourth innings, but was unable to cut into the Michigan lead.
After giving up three runs in the first inning, Tyler Smith kept UC in the game before getting into a two-out, bases-loaded jam in the top of the fifth. Sophomore Nick Johnson came in out of the pen to relieve Smith and pitched out of the jam to keep the score at 3-0.
Cincinnati crept closer in the bottom of the fifth inning as Scott knocked a double into right-centerfield to get things started. After a fly out moved Scott to third base, senior Cameron Satterwhite (Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller) and Spina reached base courtesy of a hit by pitch and a walk to load the bases for Durham. Durham was hit by a pitch on the first pitch of the at bat, allowing Scott to cross home plate and bring UC within two runs, 3-1. However, the Bearcats were unable to tack on any more runs as a double play ended the scoring threat.
In the seventh inning, the Wolverines extended their lead to 6-1 off a three-run homer by Mike Dufek, and that proved to be all the scoring that Michigan needed as the Wolverines defeated the Bearcats 6-1.
With a hit in the seventh inning, Spina extended his hitting streak to 11 games, dating back to last season.
Cincinnati concludes to BIG EAST/Big Ten Baseball Challenge on Sunday, Feb. 22 at 10 a.m. against intrastate foe Ohio State. The Buckeyes and Bearcats will play at Red McEwen Field on the campus of USF.