TicketsMarch 19, 2010
CINCINNATI - Through five innings, the University of Cincinnati baseball team had just one hit against University of Toledo freshman Mike Hamann, who entered the game with a 2-0 record and a 1.89 ERA. However, Cincinnati scored five runs off Hamann on four hits in the bottom of the sixth inning to take its first lead of the game, 5-4, and seniors Brian Garman and Andrew Burkett shut down the Rockets down the stretch to preserve the 5-4 series-opening triumph.
The come-from-behind win gave UC (10-4) its sixth straight win and its ninth win in its last 10 games. The loss dropped the Rockets to 7-7.
Hamann retired the first 10 batters of the game, before junior Chris Peters lined a single into center field in the fourth to give the Bearcats their first hit. Hamann continued to pitch well following the Peters at-bat and had still only given up one hit through five innings.
During that stretch, a Jared Hoying two-run home run in the third inning and four consecutive two-out hits, including RBI singles by Chris Dudics and Matt Delewski in the fifth inning, pushed Toledo's lead to 4-0.
It was in the sixth inning when the UC bats came to life.
With one out in the sixth inning, freshman Jake Proctor and senior Jamel Scott singled on back-to-back pitches to put runners on first and second base. Down in the count, no balls and two strikes, Peters collected his second hit of the day, a RBI-single through the middle that scored Proctor, plating Cincinnati's first run of the day.
Sophomore T.J. Jones walked during the next at-bat to load the bases, and a senior Kevin Johnson sacrifice fly to center field brought home another run, cutting the Bearcats deficit to two runs, 4-2. On the next pitch, senior Jimmy Jacquot delivered a double down the left field line, allowing Peters and Jones to score and knot the game at four, before he moved to third base on the throw to the plate. That move proved to be the difference as a passed ball scored Jacquot, giving UC a 5-4 advantage.
Toledo had an opportunity to tie the game in the eighth with a runner on third and two outs, but Burkett came out of the bullpen and retired Joe Corfman to end the threat.
In the ninth, Burkett retired the side in order to close out the 5-4 win and pick up his third save of the season.
Garman pitched 3.0 innings of scoreless relief, giving up just two hits and striking out four batters, to improve to 2-0 on the season.
Jacquot and Peters led UC with two hits apiece.
The Bearcats and Rockets will complete their three-game series on Saturday, March 20, with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. at Marge Schott Stadium. Game 2 of the doubleheader will begin approximately 30 minutes following the completion of Game 1.