TicketsMay 20, 2010
CINCINNATI - A two-run home run in the eighth inning by junior Justin Riddell broke open a tie ball game and senior Andrew Burkett closed the door on the Georgetown University Hoyas as the University of Cincinnati baseball team took the opener of Thursday's BIG EAST Conference doubleheader, 8-7, at Marge Schott Stadium.
The win improved the Bearcats to 11-14 in BIG EAST play and evened their record at 27-27 overall, while the Hoyas fell to 24-29 overall and 5-20 in conference action.
Georgetown put the first run on the board in the second inning when Tommy Lee walked with the bases loaded, placing the Hoyas on top 1-0.
Cincinnati took its first lead in the third inning when senior Kevin Johnson hit a two-run home run to right field, his seventh round-tripper of the season, before UC upped its lead to three runs in the fourth inning on a two-RBI single to right-center field off the bat of sophomore Braden Kline.
Just as the Bearcats expanded their lead, Georgetown bounced back with three runs on three hits in its half of the fifth inning to knot the score at four.
The Hoyas regained the lead in the sixth inning when a walk and a hit batsman placed runners on first a second base with nobody out. After a double steal moved both runners into scoring position, a ground out plated one run, while advancing the other runner to third base. However, sophomore Sam Slavik came out of the bullpen and forced a foul out and a ground out to end the scoring threat.
The duo of Kline and Johnson put pressure on the Hoyas in the seventh as Kline singled and Johnson doubled to start the inning, putting runners on second and third base with nobody out. Following a strike out, senior Jamel Scott singled home Kline and moved Johnson to third, cutting the UC deficit to one run, 6-5. Sophomore Chris Peters delivered with a runner in scoring position when he lifted a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Johnson and equaled the score at six.
Senior Jimmy Jacquot drew a walk to put the go-ahead run on first base with nobody out in the eighth inning and Riddell proceeded to drill a two-run home run over the fence in left-center field to place Cincinnati back in front, 8-6.
The Hoyas scored an unearned run in the ninth and had the tying run on third base, but Burkett struck out the final batter to preserve the 8-7 win.
Kline finished a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with two RBI, while Johnson and Riddell also drove in two runs apiece.
The second game of Thursday's doubleheader is set to begin at 7:30 p.m.