TicketsMay 1, 2010
CINCINNATI--Jimmy Jacquot hit two home runs, including the game-winner and freshman Andrew Strenge turned in a masterful relief outing, leading Cincinnati to a 5-4 win over West Virginia on Saturday at soggy Marge Schott Stadium. The victory capped a three-game sweep for the Bearcats and ups their record to 23-20 overall and 8-10 in BIG EAST play.
While Jacquot was the hero, Strenge (4-1), a true freshman, gave the Bearcats the best outing of his short collegiate career. After entering with the bases loaded and one out in the third and UC trailing 4-2, Strenge worked out of the jam and wound up with 5.2 shutout innings, allowing just two hits and striking out a career-high six. Andrew Burkett got the last three outs to nail down his 12th save of the season, tying a UC single season record. The win also pushed UC's record to 19-0 in game's this season in which they score five runs or more.
The Bearcats wasted little time jumping on WVU (18-26, 3-15 BIG EAST) starter Andy Berry as the hosts took advantage of a two-out walk by T.J. Jones in the first. Jacquot then stepped to the plate and ripped a full count offering off the scoreboard in right field for his first round tripper of the year.
West Virginia got one of the runs back in the second when Jeremy Gum led off with his second home run of the series against UC starter Brian Sand. Things turned ugly in the third when Sand hit Jedd Gyorko to start the inning, leading to a two-base throwing error by Kevin Johnson. Grant Buckner then cleared the bases with his fourth homer of the year to deep left field. Things continued to unravel for Sand as he allowed two singles and hit a batter to load the bases. That prompted the move to Strenge who struck out Colin Durborow and induced a fly ball to left that Kendal Coleman made a diving catch on to escape the inning.
The Bearcats came back to tie the game in the fourth with a Mikel Huston walk and a run-scoring double by Justin Riddell bringing UC within a run. With runners on the corners after a Johnson single, West Virginia went to the bullpen for Chris Enourato who was quickly greeted by a Braden Kline game-tying single.
The scoring remained status quo with UC missing a scoring chance in the seventh and the Mountaineers following suit an inning later. In the eighth, Chris Rasky tallied a two-out single for WVU and moved to third on a passed ball and wild pitch, but was stranded there as Strenge recorded strikeout number six.
In the eighth, Jacquot hammered a 3-1 pitch from Enourato over the left field fence onto Sheakley Lawn for the game-winner and his first career-two home run game.
The victory keeps the Bearcats locked in eighth place in the BIG EAST standings with three weekends of play remaining. Before a trip to league-leading Connecticut next weekend, the Bearcats will take on Wright State in a home-and-home series this Tuesday and Wednesday.