TicketsMarch 10, 2012
CINCINNATI - University of Cincinnati baseball head coach Brian Cleary earned his 400th career win after the Bearcats defeated Chicago State 6-0 in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday at Marge Schott Stadium.
Freshman left-handed pitcher Zach Morris recorded his best outing of the season and earned his first win as a Bearcat. The 6-foot-6 southpaw struck out a career-high nine batters and allowed just four hits in six scoreless innings.
Offensively, freshman outfielder Taylor Schmidt paced the Bearcats with a 2-for-4, two-RBI performance, followed by freshman third baseman Joey Bielek (2 for 4, one RBI) and junior center fielder Jake Proctor (1 for 5, two RBIs).
Cincinnati (6-6) got the scoring started with two runs in the bottom of the third. Sophomore second baseman Ryan Quinn, sophomore shortstop Matt Williams and Schmidt each singled to start the third, giving the Bearcats bases loaded and no outs. Proctor drove in Quinn with a fielder's choice groundball out to the shortstop. After Proctor stole second base to put runners on second and third, sophomore right fielder Justin Glass drove in Williams with a groundball to the shortstop that put UC up 2-0.
The Bearcats tacked on another run in the bottom of the fifth that increased their lead to 3-0. With two outs, Glass reached on a fielding error by CSU (0-9) first baseman Jeremy Ratajczyk. Glass then stole second base and advanced to third on a throwing error by catcher Jack Bobillo. Bielek then drove in Glass with a single up the middle.
UC extended its lead to five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning thanks to two RBIs from Schmidt. With bases loaded and two outs, Schmidt singled up the middle to score sophomore OF Ronald Cotton, who pinch ran for Kiley Jones after Jones hit a pinch-hit single, and senior first baseman Nic Spence.
Proctor drove in Cincinnati's sixth run of the game with a two-out RBI double to left-center field that allowed Williams to score.
Redshirt sophomore lefty Jason Pascuzzi pitched the final three innings of the game and earned his first save of the season. Pascuzzi has not allowed a run in 7.1 innings pitched this year.
The Bearcats and Cougars will play Game 2 of their doubleheader at approximately 3:45 p.m. at Marge Schott Stadium, when sophomore right-hander Matt Ring will take the mound for UC.