March 6, 2011
Call Baseball Contact Michael Stambaugh for more details - 386.481.2278 -
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – After playing eight innings with complete defense and pitching, the Wildcats found themselves on the wrong end of a rally in the final frame. Though the SIU Edwardsville Cougars came on strong in the ninth, the Wildcats put them away when it counted, coming out on top 10-8.
“SIU came out swinging in the last inning,” said Head Coach Mervyl Melendez, “and we didn't make some key plays which prolonged the game.”
Starting pitcher Scott Garner (2-0) took care of business on the mound, mixing up his pitches and keeping SIUE batters off balance. Garner collected two strikeouts, but forced the Cougars into 12 groundouts, while only walking two and giving up one run through eight innings.
“Scott was at his best today,” Melendez noted of his starter. “When you see that many ground balls and guys off-balance that couldn't get good swings, that means he is on his game. He was definitely on his game today.”
Offensively the Wildcats kept Saturday's momentum going, putting up 10 runs on 14 hits, with Peter O'Brien doubling to drive Ryan Durrence in for the first run in the bottom of the first inning.
DJ Leonard both kept the scoring on a roll, sending solo shots out of the park in the fourth and fifth innings.
The Wildcats picked up their biggest innings in the sixth and eighth, scoring three runs in each.
Leading 10-1 in the final frame, SIUE mounted a comeback, putting up seven runs in the ninth, including four runs with two outs on the board. B-CU enlisted the help of four relievers to shut down the SIUE rally, with Jordan Dailey coming in to pick up the elusive third out and secure the win, 10-8.
“I thought we had some pretty good at-bats,” noted Melendez. “I think our game plan was well executed, and we did what we wanted to do; spread the ball all over the field. We got the performance, offensively, that we talked about and expected.”
DJ Leonard chipped in 2 more RB, hitting 3-5.
The Wildcats' hectic early schedule continues, as they rematch with Boston College, 6 p.m. on Tuesday at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. The Eagles (7-3) held off a B-CU seven run, ninth inning comeback to close out the opening day of the B-CU Invitational with a 13-12 win over B-CU.
“A very important game for us,” said Melendez of the rematch. “We played a decent game against them, but we've got to play better from the beginning. They flat-out outplayed us in the first half of the game, and we outplayed them in the last half. We know that we can get it done, and we have to show that throughout the entire game on Tuesday night.”
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