TicketsMarch 11, 2012
CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati baseball team defeated Chicago State University 4-3 Sunday at Marge Schott Stadium to complete a four-game sweep.
Cincinnati (8-6), winners in eight of its last nine games, received 2-for-4 hitting performances from sophomore right fielder Justin Glass, freshman third baseman Joey Bielek and senior first baseman Nic Spence, while senior designated hitter Jake Saylor added two RBIs.
Freshman right-hander Bryan Chenoweth threw 2.1 innings of relief to pick up his second win of the season. Chenoweth's classmate Grant Walker started his first collegiate game and lasted 3.2 innings, allowing just one earned run.
The Bearcats opened the scoring with one run in the bottom of the third inning. Bielek led off the frame with a single up the middle and advanced to second on Spence's one-out single to the shortstop. Senior outfielder Braden Kline then walked to give UC bases loaded and just one out. Junior catcher J.P. Jackson drove in Bielek from third with a sacrifice fly to right field for a 1-0 UC lead.
Chicago State (0-11) tied the ballgame at 1-1 in the top of the third inning. The first two Cougars of the frame singled and advanced to second and third on a sacrifice bunt. After the Bearcats threw out CSU third baseman Shane McGaharan out at home on a groundball to Walker for the second out of the inning, Chicago LF Jonathan Carpen hit a single that bounced off the pitcher's mound and into left field for an RBI single.
Cincinnati regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth after pushing three base runners across the plate. With one out, sophomore shortstop Matt Williams reached on an error by CSU shortstop Mattingly Romanin. Williams then stole second and advanced to third on an errant throw by Cougs catcher Jack Bobillo. Junior outfielder Jake Proctor drove in Williams with a line-drive double down the left-field line. Glass in the next at-bat singled up the middle and then stole second base to put runners on second and third with one out. After Bielek popped up the third baseman for out No. 2, Saylor belted a double to left-center field that allowed Proctor and Glass to score and put UC in front 4-1.
The Cougars cut their deficit to just one run after scoring in the sixth and seventh innings. CSU shortstop Mattingly Romanin hit a two-out RBI single to first base in the sixth to make the score 4-2. In the seventh, Chenoweth was replaced by senior lefty Cory Hough after walking the leadoff batter. Hough struck out the first batter he faced for the first out of the inning, but allowed a single against the second batter, putting runners on the corners. Hough then threw a wild pitch that allowed Carpen to score.
Junior right-hander Zach Isler closed the door on the Cougars by recording a four-out save, his third of the season.
Cincinnati plays 2011 Big Ten Conference co-champion Michigan State University in a three-game series beginning 4 p.m. Friday at Marge Schott Stadium.