TicketsFeb. 24, 2012
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - In the opening game of the Wake Forest Invitational, the University of Cincinnati baseball team fell to Georgetown University 11-6 on Friday at Gene Hooks Field.
Cincinnati (0-4) built a five-run lead after 4 1/2 innings, but Georgetown (4-1) combined for 11 runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
Senior first baseman Nic Spence (Victoria, Australia/St. Josephs/Central Arizona CC) paced the Bearcats offense after batting 2 for 5 with 3 RBI and his first home run of the season.
Junior right-handed pitcher Andrew Strenge (Yardley, Pa./Holy Ghost Prep) pitched five innings, struck out eight Hoyas and allowed just one earned run on six hits before being relieved in the sixth inning.
With no score heading into the top of the fifth inning, the Bearcats offense exploded for five runs to take a 5-0 lead, highlighted by Spence's three-run home run to right field. The UC rally began when sophomore OF Ronald Cotton (Florence, Ky./Boone County) walked and sophomore SS Matt Williams (Mason, Ohio/Cincinnati Hills Christian) was hit by a pitch, setting up junior CF Jake Proctor's (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) two-run double to right-center field. After sophomore DH Justin Glass (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll) singled to put Bearcats on the corners, Spence belted his first homer of the season to cap a five-run inning.
Georgetown closed the gap in the bottom half of the fifth after plating two runners, one of which was unearned due to an infield error by the 'Cats.
One inning later in the bottom of the sixth, Georgetown produced six runs on three hits. Senior left-hander Brad Mergen (Albany, Minn./Albany/Indian Hills CC) entered the game for Strenge and loaded the bases with a single, a walk and a hit batter before getting pulled for freshman RHP Bryan Chenoweth (Lafayette, Ind./McCutcheon), who allowed the Hoyas to score their third run with a bases-loaded walk.
Two batters later, GU second baseman Andy Lentz hit a grand-slam homer to left field that put the Hoyas up 7-5. The very next batter, Georgetown junior CF Justin Leeson, hit a solo longball that gave GU an 8-5 lead.
Cincinnati got to within two runs in the top of the seventh inning. After Glass walked, senior catcher Jake Saylor (Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton/Paradise Valley CC) smacked a double to right-center field that plated Glass and made the score 8-6.
Georgetown responded in the bottom half of the inning with three runs, another of which was unearned, to make the count 11-6.
Cincinnati next plays Wake Forest at 4 p.m. Saturday at Gene Hooks Field, which will be streamed live on WakeForestSports.com.