Pirates Fall to Bearcats In 10 Innings, 3-2
April 30, 2005 | Baseball
GREENVILLE, N.C.--Cincinnati's Pat LeMasters hit his first home run of the season in the top of the tenth, breaking a 2-2 tie to give the Bearcats a 3-2 win over the Pirates Saturday night at Clark-LeClair Stadium. LeMasters, who only had 28 plate appearances this season coming into the tenth inning, hit a shot just over the wall in left, tying the series 1-1.
ECU (25-17) falls to 10-10 in conference play, dropping just its second conference game in their last 10 C-USA contests. With the win, Cincinnati improves to 19-21 overall and 7-12 in conference.
Kevin Rhodes went a career-high 7 2/3 innings in just his second career start. The junior right-hander allowed two runs, one earned, on five hits while walking one and tying a career-high five strikeouts. Scott Andrews suffered his third loss of the season, allowing one run on two hits in 2 1/3 innings of work.
Tony Maynard allowed two runs on seven hits in seven innings of work for the Bearcats. The senior right-hander struck out three and walked four in his 12th start of the season. Josh Kay came on to relieve Maynard in the bottom of the eighth and earned his first win of the season. In three innings on the hill, Kay allowed just one hit while striking out two and walking one.
Seven different Pirates collected hits with Drew Costanzo and Jake Smith plating the Pirates two runs. Brian Szarmach and LaFringe Hayes were the only players to collect double-digit hits on the night. Sazermach batted 2-for-4 with two runs and one RBI while LaFringe finished 2-for-5.
Costanzo hit his team-leading eighth homer of the season with a line solo shot over the wall in right for the first run of the ballgame in the bottom of the second. ECU then loaded the bases with a walk and two singles before Brett Lindgren grounded into a double play, scoring Smith from third.
Szarmach hit a solo shot of his own to lead off the top of the fifth with a line drive to left-center, cutting the ECU lead to 2-1.
After reaching third on a single and a two-base error, Szarmach plated his second run of the game in the seventh when he scored from third on a Jon DeLuca groundout.
LeMasters hit the third solo homer of the game in the top of the tenth to break the 2-2 tie, giving the Bearcats the one-run lead in extra-innings.
East Carolina and Cincinnati return to Clark-LeClair Stadium Sunday to play the C-USA series finale. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.
