TicketsMarch 22, 2010
CINCINNATI - Following an 11-game homestand, the University of Cincinnati baseball hits the road for a pair of mid-week games at Butler University on Tuesday, March 23 at 3 p.m., and the University of Dayton on Wednesday, March 24 at 3 p.m.
Cincinnati enters the week with a 10-6 overall record after the University of Toledo took two of three games from the Bearcats this past weekend.
UC took the series opener from Toledo, 5-4, on Friday night as the Bearcats scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to erase a four-run deficit and take its first lead of the game. Seniors Brian Garman and Andrew Burkett combined to give up just two hits over the final 4.1 innings to preserve the win, Cincinnati's sixth in a row at that point.
However, Toledo responded and took the first game of a Saturday doubleheader, 15-2, before eking out a 2-1 victory in the series finale.
Heading into the week, sophomore T.J. Jones is leading the squad with a .339 batting average and has a team-leading 17 RBI. Senior Jimmy Jacquot has been steady in the middle of the order hitting .302 with a team-best three home runs and has driven in 14 runs.
Through 16 games, the Cincinnati pitching staff has posted an ERA of 4.42, almost two full runs better than its ERA at this point of last year's season. One of the reasons for the success of the pitching staff is that UC has struck out 116 batters, while only relinquishing 40 total walks.
About Butler:
Butler comes into the week with a 5-10 overall record after dropping three of four games against Buffalo last weekend. The Bulldogs are in the middle of a 14-game home stretch, which includes two Horizon League series against Youngstown State and Wright State.
Butler is led offensively by Grant Fillipitch, who has hit one home run and driven in a team-high 13 runs. Two Bulldogs players are hitting over .300 on the season led by Kyle Waggoner's .346 batting average.
On Tuesday, the Bearcats will send senior Kevin Johnson to the mound for his first start of the season and he will square off against the Bulldogs' Billy Laing. Johnson is set to make his fourth appearance of the season and has struck out five in 3.0 innings of work. Laing is 1-0 on the season in four appearances and owns an ERA of 6.75.
About Dayton:
On Wednesday, Dayton ends its eight-game homestand when it hosts the Bearcats at 3 p.m. at Time Warner Cable Stadium. The Flyers are 8-10 on the season and will host Toledo on Tuesday, before welcoming the Bearcats.
The Flyers have a potent offense and have scored 10-plus runs in seven games this season. The trio of Aaron Dunsmore, Zach Jacob, and Cole Tyrell has combined to hit 15 home runs and drive in 63 runs, accounting for 71 percent of the team's home run total and 71 percent of the team's RBI total.