TicketsApril 24, 2010
NOTRE DAME, Ind. - Trailing 3-1 entering the ninth inning, the University of Cincinnati baseball team sent eight players to plate in the final frame and scored four runs to defeat the University of Notre Dame, 5-4, in the first game of a BIG EAST Conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Frank Eck Stadium.
Juniors Justin Riddell and Chris Peters led the Bearcats with two hits apiece and each drove in a run in the final inning to move the Bearcats to 19-18 overall and 5-9 in the BIG EAST. Notre Dame dropped to 16-22 overall and 6-8 in league play.
Both teams were retired in order to start the game, but the Irish got a run on the scoreboard in the second inning. Notre Dame used two walks and a bunt single to load the bases with nobody out and a sacrifice fly to center field off the bat off Billy Boockford plated the first run of the game. However, senior Tyler Smith forced a pop out and a ground out to limit the damage, but the Irish still took a 1-0 lead into the third inning.
ND moved its lead to 2-0 in the third inning on another sacrifice fly, but the Bearcats were able to get on the board in the fourth inning.
Riddell led the fourth inning off with a single to left field, before moving to second base on a walk to freshman Logan Jackson. After a strike out, sophomore Kendal Coleman was walked to load the bases. Another strike out left the bases loaded with two outs, but a four-pitch walk to senior Kevin Johnson brought in a run to cut the UC deficit in half, 2-1. However, a fly out to right field left three runners stranded.
The Irish had at least one runner in scoring position in innings four through seven, but Smith and sophomore Sam Slavik did not allow a run during that stretch to keep the Bearcats one run behind, 2-1, entering the eighth inning.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, a two-out seeing-eye single by Notre Dame's Cameron McConnell scored Brayden Ashdown from second base to increase the Irish lead to two runs, 3-1.
The Bearcats continued to fight in the ninth as a one-out, pinch-hit single to left field by sophomore Braden Kline and a double to left-center field by Johnson put the game-tying run at second base with one out. A walk to sophomore T.J. Jones loaded the bases with one out, and junior Chris Peters delivered a single to center field that scored Kline and kept the bases loaded. UC tied the game on a RBI walk from senior Jimmy Jacquot, before Riddell delivered again, this time the go-ahead RBI sacrifice fly to right field, which moved Peters to third base and plated Jones to give Cincinnati its first lead of the game, 4-3. Freshman Logan Jackson provided some insurance with an RBI single to right field that scored Peters and moved the lead to 5-3, but Jacquot was thrown out at home trying to score to end the inning.
The Irish threatened in the bottom of the ninth and cut the Cincinnati lead to 5-4 on a RBI hit by Casey Martin. With runners on the corners and one out, senior Andrew Burkett struck out Mick Doyle, before forcing Ashdown into a game-ending ground out to preserve the one-run win.
Slavik gave up four hits and one earned run in 4.0 innings of relief to pick up his second win of the season, while Burkett moved into a tie for second place on Cincinnati's single-season saves list with his ninth save of the season.
The Bearcats and Irish are set to conclude the series finale with the second game of their Saturday doubleheader, which is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.