TicketsMarch 23, 2010
INDIANAPOLIS - After concluding its 11-game homestand with a doubleheader loss to Toledo on Saturday, the University of Cincinnati baseball team bounced back with an 8-3 come-from-behind win over Butler University Tuesday afternoon at Bulldog Park.
UC (11-6) was unable to score on six hits through six innings, but the Bearcats registered eight hits and scored seven runs off the Butler (5-11) bullpen over the final three innings to secure the win.
"It was good to go on the road and get a win," said head coach Brian Cleary. "I thought it was a tough place to score runs and we stuck with it and were able to score late. Our bullpen continued to pitch well and was very strong."
Six players posted two hits for the Bearcats, while senior Kevin Johnson, senior Beach Brooks, and junior Justin Riddell drove in two runs apiece. Junior Chris Peters put together a strong all-around performance with two hits, three runs scored, an RBI, and defensively, he helped turn two double plays.
Entering the seventh inning, the Bearcats trailed 3-1 before Peters got the rally started with a lead-off walk. Peters moved up a base when sophomore Cory Hough was hit by a pitch, and a single off the bat of Riddell during the next at-bat loaded the bases with nobody out.
Brooks, who has already delivered two pinch-hit, game-winning RBIs this season, delivered another clutch pinch-hit base-knock, this time a double down the left field line that scored Peters and Hough, tying the game at three. Two pitches later, senior Jamel Scott lifted a go-ahead RBI sacrifice fly, giving the Bearcats their first lead of the day, 4-3.
Butler's lead-off batter singled to start the bottom of the seventh as the Bulldogs looked to recapture their lead, but senior Brian Garman came out of the bullpen and forced a fielder's choice and a double play, quickly halting any momentum.
Peters and Riddell collected RBI hits in the eighth, pushing the UC lead to three runs, 6-3, before a two-RBI single by Johnson in the ninth widened the cushion to five runs, 8-3.
Hough came in to pitch the ninth and struck out a batter before forcing two fly outs to close out the victory.
Freshman Andrew Strenge picked up the win in relief, pitching 2.2 innings and giving up three hits without giving up a run. Garman added 2.0 innings of relief and struck out three, allowing the Bearcats to push their lead to five.
The Bearcats continue their five-game road trip on Wednesday, March 24, when they head up Interstate-75 to play the University of Dayton at Time Warner Cable Stadium. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m.