The University of Akron Athletics
Cincinnati's Three Home Runs Top Akron, 11-9
April 12 | Baseball
April 12, 2006
Box Score
AKRON, Ohio - The University of Akron baseball team allowed three unearned runs in the first and then surrendered a 4-3 lead on three home runs to drop its mid-week game to the University of Cincinnati 11-9 on Wednesday evening. Despite a late surge, the Zips have now lost six in a row and fall to 7-21, while the Bearcats improve to 19-12 overall.
A three-run blast by Jack Nelson in the fifth inning that just stayed inside the right field foul poll put the Bearcats up 6-4, after the Zips reclaimed the lead in the top of the inning. Then in the sixth, Josh Harrison belted his own three-run home run before Nelson hit his second long ball of the game, pushing Cincinnati's lead to 11-5.
Akron continued to battle after giving up the lead in the fifth, scoring a run on two hits in the sixth. However, that would be as close as the game would get for the Zips, with Cincinnati putting up five in the sixth. The Zips would add an unearned run in the eighth and in the ninth, Brian Kimutis (Washington, Pa./Trinity) pushed three runs across on a double to right-center, which also brought the tying run to the plate with no outs.
After two, one-out walks the Zips had bases loaded with the tying run at second, but Akron could not find the key hit to put themselves back into the lead.
Cincinnati took an the early lead in the first inning as the Bearcats scored three unearned runs on three hits. A two-out throwing error by Vince Chiera (Akron, Ohio/Walsh) opened the gates for a RBI-single by Jon DeLuca and a two-run double by Mark Muscenti.
Akron responded with two runs on just one hit in the top of the
second. Three-straight walks to start the inning and sacrifice
flies by Chiera and Ryne Romick (Hannibal, Ohio/Hannibal) pushed in
both runs for the Zips.
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Then in the fifth, Akron took a 4-3 lead, scoring a pair of runs on three walks and two singles. However, through five innings the Zips had left the bases loaded twice, while leaving two runners stranded in the second.
Pat Gliha (Euclid, Ohio/Villa Angela-St. Joseph) started the game for Akron and went two innings allowing three unearned runs on three hits. He did not walk a batter and struck out one. Pat Watt (Struthers, Ohio/Struthers) replaced Gliha and went two scoreless innings. He allowed just one hit, walked one and struck out two. Garrett Knoll (Amherst, Ohio/Amherst) pitched the fifth inning and made one mistake, which was the three-run home run pitch to Nelson.
The pitching carousel continued in the sixth with Brett Savage (Massillon, Ohio/Perry) taking the mound, going two-thirds of an inning. He gave up five runs after recording the second out, all coming on the two home runs. Savage was charged with his first loss of the season.
Akron returns to Mid-American Conference action this weekend when it travels to Mt. Pleasant, Mich. where the Zips will begin a three-game series with Central Michigan University on Friday, April 13 at 3:00 p.m. (EDT).
