TicketsApril 1, 2010
CINCINNATI - In its first BIG EAST Conference home game of the season, the University of Cincinnati Bearcats used an eighth-inning sacrifice fly from sophomore T.J. Jones to defeat the USF Bulls 4-3 Thursday evening at Marge Schott Stadium.
Senior Brian Garman pitched 2.2 innings in relief and struck out seven of nine batters faced to pick up his third win of the season, while preseason BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year Randy Fontanez threw a complete game but fell to 1-5 on the season.
After three scoreless innings, the Bearcats got something going in the fourth inning with singles by juniors Mikel Huston and Chris Peters, which put runners on the corners with nobody out. During the next at-bat, a ground ball off the bat of Jones led to a double play, but Huston scored from third to place UC in front, 1-0.
USF quickly responded as a lead-off hit followed by a walk put runners on first and second with no outs. After a fielder's choice eliminated the runner at first base and left runners at the corners with one out, a single by Ryan Lockwood knotted the score at one.
The scoring continued in the bottom of the fifth inning for the Bearcats. Senior Kevin Johnson singled to right field to start things off and then scored during the next at-bat on a double to center field by sophomore Kendal Coleman. A sacrifice bunt moved Coleman to third base and with two outs, a single up the middle by senior Jamel Scott plated Coleman and upped the Cincinnati advantage to 3-1.
The back-and-forth contest continued as the Bulls manufactured a RBI-ground out and a RBI-single in the top of the sixth to tie the score at three.
A scoreless seventh ensued and Garman struck out the side in the USF eighth, sending the game to the bottom of the eighth still tied at three. With one out in the eighth, Scott walked on four pitches and eventually moved to third base on consecutive infield singles by Huston and Peters. On the next pitch, Jones lifted a fly ball to right field that was deep enough to score Scott and put the Bearcats back in front, 4-3.
In the ninth, senior Andrew Burkett retired to side in order to record his fifth save of the year and secure the 4-3 win.
Huston and Peters notched two hits apiece for the Bearcats, while Scott, Jones and Coleman each recorded a RBI.
The Bearcats and Bulls reconvene at Marge Schott Stadium on Friday, April 2, at 6:30 p.m., for the second game of their three-game BIG EAST Conference series.