TicketsFeb. 18, 2012
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - In the second game of its season-opening doubleheader, the University of Cincinnati baseball team lost to Purdue University 6-0 Saturday evening at Al Lang Field.
Purdue (2-0) senior right-hander Lance Breedlove kept the Bearcats attack off-balance for most of the game after striking out a career-high 11 batters and allowing just two hits in seven innings pitched.
Cincinnati (0-2) mustered only three hits; one each from sophomore DH Justin Glass (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll), freshman third baseman Joey Bielek (Scottsdale, Ariz./Chapparal) and sophomore second baseman Ryan Quinn (Sparta, N.J./Sparta).
UC right-hander Matt Ring (Muncie, Ind./Yorktown) made his first collegiate start after appearing in 18 games out of the bullpen in 2011. The sophomore set career highs in innings pitched (5.2) and strikeouts, but Ring struggled to get out of innings after allowing seven runs, five of which occurred with two outs.
Purdue got on the scoreboard with two outs in the bottom of the first inning when Boilermakers all-conference catcher Kevin Plawecki clubbed an RBI triple to left field.
The Boilermakers took a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning when senior outfielder Andrew Dixon hit a two-out, 2-RBI double to center field. Dixon ended the game hitting 4 for 4 with 2 RBI and a run scored out of the No. 7 spot in Purdue's lineup.
Purdue put the game out of reach when it tacked on three more runs to take a 6-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Senior catcher Jake Saylor (Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton/Paradise Valley CC), who missed Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader due to illness, started Game 2. He batted 0 for 3 before being pulled in the seventh inning for junior J.P. Jackson (Bowling Green, Ky./Bowling Green/Western Kentucky).
On the final day of the Big Ten/BIG EAST Challenge, Cincinnati will play Penn State University at 10 a.m. Sunday at Walter Fuller Complex Field No. 3. Redshirt sophomore right-hander Christian McElroy (Middletown, Ohio/Monroe/Sinclair CC) is expected to get the start for the Bearcats.