Bearcats To Make One Final Push At USF

[Brad]

SETTING THE SCENE: The University of Cincinnati baseball team closes the 2005 regular season in a must-win series at USF, which gets underway on Thursday (May 19) at 7 p.m. The Bearcats, at 10-16 in Conference USA, must win all three games of the weekend series to earn the eighth and final available spot in next week’s C-USA Tournament presented by POWERade. UC is 25-27 overall after an 8-4 victory over Eastern Kentucky on Tuesday night. USF (29-29 overall) currently holds the No. 8 position at 12-14 in league play and can clinch the final position in the tournament with one win this weekend.

ABOUT USF: The Bulls have dropped four games in a row to slide to 29-29 overall and 12-14 in Conference USA play. After winning a pair of mid-week contests against No. 12 Florida last week, the Bulls were swept by Southern Miss over the weekend to drop them to eighth in the league standings. USF can clinch a trip to next week’s conference tournament with one win over the Bearcats. Offensively, the Bulls are led by Jeff Baisley who is enjoying a fine season as the squad’s third baseman. Baisley leads the team with a .364 average, in addition to team-highs of 26 doubles and 64 RBI. He also has seven home runs. On the mound, sophomore Casey Hudspeth is the staff ace, holding a 7-5 record and a 4.14 ERA in 15 starts. The bullpen is anchored by Tim Mattison who has a 1.51 ERA and a team-best seven saves. UC will be trying to snap a five-game losing streak to the Bulls that dates back to the 2003 season.

Link to UC Release

[bulls96go]

the april/may swoon of eddie

please fire this coach!

[Jewbull]

Amen!!

[CyberBull]

USF up 7-0 against the Beacats going into the 7th inning.

Can we hang on this time?

Would a better facility help USF regardless of who is coaching them, attract better middle relief and closers?

[mattegunz]

Bulls win 9-1.

[Brad]

Good, that locks up a trip to the Conference USA Tournament.

[Jewbull]

if 1 and done, Eddie should be done

[Papa_Bull]

UC will be trying to snap a five-game losing streak to the Bulls that dates back to the 2003 season.

Cardieri will look like a genius in the Big East.

[Papa_Bull]

(May 19, 2005) TAMPA, FLA. – Casey Hudspeth threw six innings of no hit ball and Jeff Baisley had three hits, including his eighth home run, to lead USF to a 9-1 win over Cincinnati and clinch a berth in next week’s Conference USA Tournament.

Cincinnati’s Jon DeLuca and Jim Olds had back-to-back singles to open the seventh inning, ending Hudspeth’s no-hit bid. The Bearcats went on to score in the inning after a wild pitch and Erik Eitel’s single into right field, but Hudspeth induced a ground ball double play to end the threat.

USF (30-29, 13-14) punched out 15 hits, including at least one from each of the nine starters. Baisley’s three hits gave him 296 his career in his bid to become the third USF player to reach 300.

Hudspeth went eight innings and allowed just three singles, all in the seventh inning. He struck out three and forced 12 infield ground ball outs. Of the 30 batters he faced, he threw a first-pitch strike to 15. Nick Manganaro pitched a one-two-three ninth inning to close out the win.

In losing, Cincinnati (25-28, 10-17) has been eliminated from the C-USA Tournament, and the USF win also managed to eliminate Charlotte. The Bulls could still be seeded as high as sixth if they can sweep the final two games of the weekend with Cincinnati.

The Bulls got to Bearcats’ starter Tony Maynard for two runs in the first inning. Joey Angelberger and Jeff Baisley reached on singles and Brian Baisley drew a two-out walk to load the bases. Kris Howell then drove Angelberger and Jeff Baisley home with a single into left field.

Jeff Baisley then made it 4-0 with his two-run homer to left in the third. The Bulls scored three more in the fifth when Bryan Hierlmeier was hit by a pitch for the first of two times on the night to lead off the inning. Baisley singled him to second and then Brian Baisley scored Hierlmeier on a single through the right side that moved Jeff Baisley to third. After Kris Howell’s flyout to right that moved Baisley to third, Brandin Daniel singled, scoring the second run. Dexter Butler knocked in the third run with a sacrifice fly.

In taking to hit by pitches, Hierlmeier set a new USF single season record with 19 on the season.

The Bulls and Bearcats meet again Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m. at Red McEwen Field.

[Cubanbull]

Actually CUSA tourney is double elimination.