Xavier University Athletics

 
Xavier

May 20, 2013
MEN'S TENNIS

Roebker Named To CoSIDA All-Academic District Five At-Large Team

Junior First Since 2009 To Earn Academic Honor

CINCINNATI – Xavier men’s tennis standout junior Jimmy Roebker was named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) 2013 Capital One Academic All-District Five Men’s At-Large First Team

Roebker owns a 3.927 cumulative GPA and is majoring in Life Sciences. He is now eligible to obtain Academic All-American status. Roebker is the first Xavier men’s tennis student-athlete to earn the honor since 2009 when Brian Starr achieved similar status.

The Ft. Mitchell, Ky., native earned spots on the Atlantic 10 First Team and All-Academic teams this spring. It was the third first team honor and first academic honor for Xavier’s top player. He was the first Xavier player to earn both awards since 2008 when Ra’ees Ismail was named to both teams.

Xavier’s top singles player went a combined 25-10 overall and 17-7 at the No. 1 singles position in dual matches during his junior season. In doubles play Roebker went 20-8, including a 15-5 dual matches record with Mesa Mei.

After three years Roebker is on track to establish himself at the top of the Xavier record books. He is 73-37 in career singles matches and 35-12 at the No. 1 spot. Additionally he is 66-30 in doubles play and 32-12 at the No. 1 position. Both totals rank in the top 10 in school history, while his combined total is fourth all-time.

May 18, 2013
BASEBALL

No. 4 XU Set To Face No. 5 GW In A-10 Championship

Musketeers Make Sixth Tournament

CINCINNATI – Xavier baseball earned the four-seed in the upcoming Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship and will face No. 5 George Washington in the first game of the tournament at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 22 at the Robert and Mariam Hayes Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.

The Musketeers finished the conference season with a 16-8 mark and 30-24 overall record. The Colonials closed the season at 15-9 in conference action, 25-30 overall. GW tied with La Salle, but swept the Explorers this weekend to earn the five seed and push La Salle into the six spot.

Saint Louis, Charlotte and Rhode Island shared the regular-season conference crown, but SLU earned the top seed and first-round bye after the tie-breaker procedures were conducted. Charlotte took the two-seed and Rhode Island the third. The field is rounded out with Richmond as the seventh seed.

This marks the sixth time in the last seven seasons that the Musketeers have advanced to the conference tournament. XU won the championship in 2009 and advanced to the NCAA Regionals.

May 18, 2013
BASEBALL

Xavier Experiences Déjà vu, Defeats Butler In Ninth

Musketeers Beat Butler 4-3 For Second-Straight Game

INDIANAPOLIS – For the second-straight day, Xavier scored a run in the ninth inning to defeat a scrappy Butler team, 4-3. Derek Hasenbeck led the Musketeers going 2-for-2 at the plate with a run scored and two RBIs, including the game winner.

The win gives the Musketeers their 30th of the season, improving to 30-24 overall and 16-8 in the Atlantic 10. Butler falls to 25-27 and 12-12 in conference play.

Leading off the ninth, Selby Chidemo drilled the first pitch he saw to left center for a double. Mark Elwell dropped a sac bunt, his second of the game, to advance Chidemo to third. After Tres Eberhardt drew a walk, Hasenbeck dropped down a perfect squeeze bunt to put Xavier in front, 4-3.

Alex Vice worked the ninth for his ninth save of the season. The Bulldogs put runners on first and second with one out, but Vice induced consecutive fly outs to center field to close out the game. Jacob Bodner was credited with the win, improving to 6-1 on the year.

The Musketeers struck first with two runs in their first at bat of the game. Hasenbeck drew a two-out walk and scored on Vinny Nittoli’s team-leading fifth home run.

Starting pitcher Tyler Koors cruised through the first three innings, but Butler broke through with a pair of runs in the fourth. A single by Jack Dillon provided a base runner for Jimmy Risi, who connected on his seventh home run of the season.

Chidemo led off XU’s next at bat with a single and moved to third on first Elwell’s sac bunt and Eberhardt’s fly out to deep center. Hasenbeck ripped a two-out RBI single to put Xavier back in front, 3-2.

BU picked up its third run in the fifth. Bob Akin singled up the middle and Dillon was hit by a pitch. With two down in the inning, Risi hit a very soft looping single that landed just to the front of second base. Akin never stopped running and scored from second when Xavier failed to make a play.

Koors worked six innings, allowing three runs on six hits with three strikeouts before giving way to Alex Westrick. Westrick got the first two batters out in the seventh before being relieved by Bodner.

Butler’s Gunner Johnson pitched 4.2 innings and gave up three runs on four hits. Kyle Allen allowed three hits in two innings of relief and Will Shierholz took the loss for Butler. Chase Byerly secured the final two outs.

Rain forced the game to be held at Butler’s Bulldog Park. Originally, the two teams were going to meet at Victory Field, home of the Indianapolis Indians.

Xavier has already secured a spot in the Atlantic 10 Championship, but awaits the results of today’s games to determine its seeding and opponent. The conference will release the seeds later Saturday evening

May 17, 2013
BASEBALL

Ninth-Inning Rally Clinches Xavier’s A-10 Tourney Berth

Musketeers Score Two Runs In Ninth To Defeat Bulldogs, 4-3

INDIANAPOLIS - Xavier rallied in the ninth inning to grab a 4-3 win at Butler and clinch a spot in the Atlantic 10 Championship set to be held in Charlotte May 22-25.

Xavier (29-24, 15-8 A-10) entered the ninth trailing, 3-2, after surrendering the lead in the eighth. Derek Hasenbeck led off with a double down the right field line with no outs before being replaced by Michael Moore to pinch run. Vinny Nittoli reached on a single to shortstop, advancing Moore to third.

Joe Forney laid down a sac bunt to score Moore from third and reached on a throwing error by BU’s pitcher Chase Byerly. Forney continued to second on the error and Nittoli went to third.

After Patrick Paligraf was intentionally walked, Stephen Schoettmer worked his way to a full count before drawing the RBI walk to push Xavier out in front, 4-3.

Alex Vice entered in the ninth to close the door on Butler (25-26, 12-11 A-10), allowing a one-out single before inducing a game-ending double play. The save was the eighth of the year for Vice, a total that ties for the fifth-most in school history.

XU built a 2-0 lead with runs in the second and sixth innings.  Paligraf doubled and scored on Selby Chidemo’s single to right field in the second. Chidemo singled again in the sixth before scoring on Tres Eberhardt’s double.

Starting pitcher Scott Klever was cruising through the first six innings, but Butler broke through with one run in the seventh and two runs in the eight to grab a 3-2 lead. Mike Kseniak connected on an RBI single in the seventh and Michael Fries hit a two-RBI single in the eighth to set up the dramatic ninth inning.

This marks the sixth time in the last seven seasons in which the Musketeers have advanced to the A-10 Championships. XU won the tournament in 2009 under the guidance of head coach Scott Googins.

Xavier and Butler will meet on Saturday at 2 p.m. The game will be held at Victory Field, home of the Indianapolis Indians. The Indians are the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

May 16, 2013
BASEBALL

Musketeers Blanked By Bulldogs, 4-0

Richard Throws Complete Game In Loss

INDIANAPOLIS – Xavier’s Jon Richard went the distance on the mound for Xavier, but the Musketeers couldn’t find their offense in a 4-0 loss at Butler on Thursday afternoon. The loss drops Xavier to 28-24 overall and 14-8 in the A-10, while Butler improves to a 25-25 mark and 12-10 in the conference.

Mark Elwell led off the game with a double for XU and Tres Eberhardt followed with a walk. Xavier failed to score in the inning and the offense sputtered for the rest of the day. Following Elwell’s lead-off double, Xavier received only more hit, a single from Patrick Paligraf in the second inning.

Xavier had only three base runners after the second inning on walks by Derek Hasenbeck in the fourth inning and Paligraf in the fifth, while Selby Chidemo was hit by a pitch in the sixth.

Richard (8-4) did his part on the mound allowing five hits and four runs, pitching all eight innings. Only two of the runs scored against Richard were earned, as the Musketeers committed two errors that were turned into runs by the Bulldogs.

Capitalizing on a miscue by Joe Forney on the Bulldog’s first batter of the game, Butler went on to score the first run of the game on consecutive singles by Jimmy Risi and Michael Fries.

BU tacked on two more runs in the second. The first run resulted after RadleyHaddad was hit by a pitch, Lucas Calderon doubled and Marcos Calderon singled. The second run was scored after Hasenbeck’s throw on a failed pick-off attempt at third went into left field.

Butler added an insurance run in the seventh to push the score to 4-0.

Eric Stout went the distance for the Bulldogs, giving up two hits and walking three in the complete game effort. Stout improved to 8-6 on the season.

The two teams will meet in game two of the series on Friday at 1 p.m.

May 16, 2013
SWIMMING

Xavier Swimming Completes Class of 2013

16 Swimmers To Join Team In Fall

CINCINNATI – Xavier head swimming coach Brent MacDonald has announced the final 10 swimmers set to become Musketeers in the fall. Taylor Jach, Mikaela Saugstad, Sarah Stone and Emily Wagner will join the women’s squad and Erik Biernat, Eric Futscher, Kuroshe Mahak, Matt Nephew, Arthur Smith and Nicholas Strader will swim for the men’s team.

There are 16 total newcomers for the men’s and women’s swimming teams, including six that signed during the earlier period in November – Hannah Martin, Heidi Turner, Abbigail Walsh, Ashley Whitely, Tony Miller and Gage Mitchell.

“With 12 outgoing seniors we knew that we had some serious work to do to keep moving this team forward,” stated MacDonald. “This group of 16 far exceeded our expectations and has the potential to be a special class as we move into the BIG EAST.

“In addition to some serious talent we will have depth in events that we haven't had for years. When added to our great group of returning team members we should have a very complete team of both women and men. The best part about this group is they were all true student-athletes in high school and will have a lot of success outside of the pool as well during their four years at Xavier.”

This is the first recruiting class for MacDonald and Xavier that will compete in the BIG EAST. On July 1, Xavier will join Butler, Creighton, DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, Seton Hall, St. John’s and Villanova in the BIG EAST Conference.

The men’s swimming team finished the 2013 Atlantic 10 Championships in third-place and the women finished 10th.

May16, 2013
TRACK & FIELD

Ohlman Advances to First Round of the NCAA Track and Field Championships

Junior Will Be The Sixth Musketeer to Advance to NCAA First Round

2013 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Home

CINCINNATI- Xavier track and field athlete Tom Ohlman has qualified for the first round of the 2013 NCAA Track and Field Championships. The junior will run at 9:30 P.M. on May 24th at the North Carolina A&T facility in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Ohlman has been a top finisher for Xavier in the past two seasons in many of the long distance events and has had proven success in the 3000-meter steeplechase event. Last track season, Ohlman won the event at the Alabama Relays and set the then-school record of 9:03.09 at the Stanford Invitational. This year, Ohlman was the top finisher in the event at the Miami Invitational with a time of 9:17.40, finishing in front of all of the other 18 competitors. The junior team captain would go on to shave 15 seconds off that time and set the school record in the event yet again at the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Championships. He was also one of the five Xavier athletes to compete at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, California where he finished 8th in the steeplechase in a time of 9:05.00.

Head coach Ryan Orner is excited about Ohlman's opportunity in Greensboro. "I'm so happy for Tom in getting this opportunity to compete at the 1st rounds of the NCAA's. This opportunity comes a year after he was denied a chance to run at 1st. rounds because of emergency surgery that he had to remove his appendix. Ever since, Tom has been waiting for his chance to get back to 1st. rounds and show that he can compete at the national level." "I have a great feeling about Tom's chances of moving out of 1st. rounds and on to the NCAA Championship round in Eugene," Orner continued. "His workouts over the past week have looked great and he's finally at top form when it matters most."

The NCAA first round is divided into two regions, East and West. The top-12 athletes in each event then advance to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon spanning four days from June 5th to the 8th.

May 14, 2013
BASEBALL

Eberhardt Delivers Walk-Off Single For Musketeers

Xavier Beats Akron, 5-4

CINCINNATI – Tres Eberhardt hit a single up the middle in the bottom of the ninth inning to give Xavier the 5-4 walk-off win against Akron on Tuesday afternoon at Hayden Field. It was the second hit of the afternoon for Eberhardt.

Selby Chidemo led off the inning with a grounder deep in the hole between the shortstop and third baseman and legged out the single. Mark Elwell placed a sacrifice bunt to move Chidemo up to second.

A misplayed grounder to shortstop allowed Bodner to reach safely at first base and Chidemo to advance to third. Eberhardt fought to a full count before hitting a ground ball up the middle and past the diving second baseman for the game-winning RBI.

Bodner, who pitched the top half of the ninth inning, picked up the win for Xavier. He improved to 4-1 on the season.

Xavier strung together four-consecutive hits to take a 2-0 advantage in the fourth. Bo Slemons started the stretch with a single to center field and moved to third on Jake Forrester’s double that hit off the wall in left center. Seth Dawes and Stephen Schoettmer delivered RBI singles to score Slemons and Forrester, respectively.

Joe Forney and Slemons poked back-to-back doubles in the sixth frame to score Xavier’s third run of the contest. Slemons later scored on a sac fly from Schoettmer, his second RBI of the game.

Elwell opened the seventh with a line-drive single to left field, took second on a wild pitch and stole third on the very next pitch. The Musketeers were unable to add the insurance run as the next three batters were retired.

The inability to plate Elwell almost haunted Xavier. Akron struck for four runs in the top half of the eighth with RBIs from Matt Rembielak, Devan Ahart, Billy Salem and Jared Turocy. The Zips connected on six hits in the frame to tie the game at four and set up Eberhardt’s heriocs.

Vinny Nittoli took the mound for Xavier to start the game and pitched six innings of scoreless baseball. He struck out three, while allowing two hits and two walks.

Sean Campbell replaced Nittoli and allowed four runs in 1.2 innings before exiting with two runners on base. Vice took over and was tagged for a pair of hits before retiring the final Zip.

Akron’s JT Brubaker lasted 5.2 innings before giving way to Joe Vazquez. Brubaker surrendered four runs on eight hits, walked one batter and struck out five. Vazquez worked 1.1 innings of scoreless baseball. Pat Dyer took the loss, falling to 0-4 on the season.

The Musketeers travel to Indianapolis to meet Butler in the final regular-season series of the year. Both teams are vying for a spot in the Atlantic 10 Championships. Xavier sits at 14-7 and tied for fourth place, while Butler sits in eighth place at 11-10. Game one will be held on Thursday at 3 p.m. at Bulldog Park on Butler’s campus.

May 13, 2013
BASEBALL

A-10 Tabs Koors Pitcher Of The Week

Senior Tossed Complete-Game Shutout On Senior Day

CINCINNATI – Xavier’s Tyler Koors was named Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Week for the week of May 13 after throwing a complete-game shutout against Massachusetts on Sunday.

Koors was masterful in leading Xavier to a 1-0 victory over UMass on senior day for the Musketeers. A senior himself, Koors scattered seven hits throughout the game and did not walk a batter, while registering six strikeouts.  Koors picked up the victory in his final appearance at Xavier’s Hayden Field.

The native of Indianapolis has a career-best 3.44 ERA this season and holds a 5-5 record. The complete game was just the second of his career and first of the season. He combined efforts with Jacob Bodner and Alex Vice to shutout St. Bonaventure earlier this season, but this marks the first time Koors posted a complete-game shutout.

Koors’ performance was vital for a Xavier team in the hunt for a berth into the Atlantic 10 Championships. Xavier stands at 27-23 overall and 14-7 in conference action. More importantly, XU controls its destiny in determining a berth into the championships.

This is the third weekly award for a Musketeer this season and second for an XU pitcher. Vinny Nittoli picked Player of the Week accolades March 25 after a 7-for-8 weekend performance that included five extra-base hits – three doubles, a triple and home run. Jon Richard garnered Pitcher of the Week following a three-hit complete game shutout of Rhode Island

Xavier hosts Akron on Tuesday afternoon in the final non-conference regular-season matchup for the Musketeers. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m.

May 12, 2013
BASEBALL

Koors’ Complete-Game Shutout Leads XU To Win On Senior Day

Senior Pitcher Fans Six Batters, Walks None In Victory

CINCINNATI – Senior pitcher Tyler Koors was dominant in leading Xavier to a 1-0 victory over visiting Massachusetts on Senior Day at Hayden Field. Koors tossed a complete game shutout, improving his record to 5-5 and lifting the Musketeers to a 27-23 record, including a 14-7 mark in the Atlantic 10.

Koors scattered seven hits throughout the nine innings and never wavered in the contest. He struck out six Minutemen and walked none. 

Fellow seniors Seth Dawes and Stephen Schoettmer delivered the only run of the game in the fifth inning. Dawes lifted a ball down the right field line that was misplayed by Minuteman Kellen Pagel. Dawes was running hard out of the batter’s box and took second on the error. Schoettmer delivered a full-count RBI double down the left field line.

Massachusetts (11-31, 4-17 A-10) got a lead-off single in the first inning from Ryan Cusick. Cusick stole second and advanced to third when Derek Hasenbeck’s throw went in the dirt and into the outfield. Koors clamped down and retired the next three batters on a fly out to shallow center, strikeout and harmless grounder to Paligraf at shortstop.

The Minuteman got another runner to third base in the fourth inning with two outs, but Koors buckled down and forced a lineout that went right to Selby Chidemo at second.

UMass doubled in each of the seventh and eighth innings, but Koors closed the door each time and did not allow the runners to advance.

Dawes led the charge at the plate with a 2-for-3 effort on senior day and scored the lone run of the game. The only other hits for the Musketeers were Schoettmer’s RBI double, his 10th of the season, and a single from Tres Eberhardt in the third.

Aaron Plunkett (0-6) also went the distance in the game, pitching all eight innings for Massachusetts. Plunkett threw an incredible 149 pitches, walking six Musketeers and giving up four hits.

Xavier plays host to Akron on Tuesday afternoon at Hayden Field, with a scheduled start time of 3 p.m. The Musketeers will then close the regular season with a three-game series at Butler starting on Thursday.

May 11, 2013
BASEBALL

Musketeers Take Two From Minutemen In Saturday Doubleheader

Bodner Registers Career-High Four RBI In Game One

CINCINNNATI – After a rainout on Friday forced a Saturday doubleheader, Xavier responded with a pair of victories over Massachusetts to run its record to 26-23 overall, 13-7 in the Atlantic 10. UMass fell to 11-30 overall and 4-16 in conference play.

The Musketeers won the opening game 15-3 thanks to a season-high 14 walks and held on to win the second contest 4-3 after the Minutemen made a late charge.

The series finale will begin at noon on Sunday with a special ceremony honoring nine senior Musketeers starting approximately 15 minutes before first pitch.

Game One

Xavier sent 14 batters to the plate in its first at bat of the game and went on to post a 15-3 win over Massachusetts. Jacob Bodner led the charge with a career-high four RBIs, including his first career home run in the sixth inning.

The Musketeers scored nine runs in the first inning on three hits and seven walks. Derek Hasenbeck delivered a two-run double to get the scoring started for XU. Bodner was hit by a pitch to score the next run and Mark Elwell delivered another two-run double.

The scoring continued with an RBI walk by Hasenbeck, giving him three RBIs in the inning. Vinny Nittoli plated the final run of the stanza with a ground out deep in the whole to the short stop. Massachusetts’ starting pitcher Andrew Grant (2-7) struggled to get the ball over the plate and was chased out of the game after just a third of an inning. Grant was charged for all nine runs in the frame.

Bodner led the charge with a pair of RBIs in a five-run third inning. Xavier’s starting second baseman delivered a two-run single with the bases loaded.

Jon Richard also had a great day on the mound. Richard worked six innings of one-run ball and struck out six batters. The senior hurler continued his move up Xavier’s record books. He now stands fifth all-time with 207 Ks.

Daniel Przeniczny pitched an effective two innings and gave way to senior Jarred Marks. Marks closed out the ninth inning for the Musketeers.

Elwell, Nittoli and Bo Slemons also registered multiple RBIs in the game. Each Musketeer drove in two runs. Xavier’s defense also came through in the contest with three diving grabs in right field. Nittoli plucked one that was headed to right center and Daniel Rod nabbed two more after entering the contest.

Several season highs were set in the game for XU. Xavier scored 15 runs on two other occasions this season, wins at Ohio and at home versus St. Bonaventure. The Musketeers were patient at the plate and were rewarded with a season-best 14 walks. Xavier eclipsed the eight free passes issued by Cincinnati in April.

Game Two

Four-consecutive RBI singles in the opening inning from Joe Forney, Patrick Paligraf, Daniel Rizzie and Schoettmer provided XU and starting pitcher Scott Klever with an early 4-0 lead. It was all the support that Klever need.

Klever pitched 7.2 innings before giving way to Alex Vice who closed the final 1.1 innings for the Musketeers to earn his seventh save.

The win improved Klever to 5-4 on the season. He scattered seven hits and two walks throughout the game.

Things got interesting for Vice and the Musketeers in the ninth. The Minuteman scored two runs on four hits and twice had the go ahead run on base. Vice secured the final out on an unassisted groundout to Forney at first.

Conor LeBlanc earned the start for UMass, giving up four runs on seven hits and five walks. Ron Wallaced worked the final two innings for the Minuteman.


May 8, 2013
WOMEN'S GOLF

Crutchfield, Patz Named To CAA Women’s Golf All-Conference Teams

Xavier’s Crutchfield Earns Rookie Of The Year Honors

CINCINNATI – Xavier women’s golf freshman Shane Crutchfield earned a first team honor and was named the Colonial Athletic Association’s Rookie of the Year while senior Breanna Patz grabbed a spot on the second team.

Crutchfield, a freshman from St. Petersburg, Fla., completed her rookie campaign with a scoring average of 77.03 over 11 tournaments. She is the first XU golfer to earn CAA Rookie of the Year honors.

Her average led the Musketeers and set a new freshman record in addition to being the second lowest-average in school history. She earned five top six finishes and nine top 20 honors in her first year with the Musketeers.

Crutchfield completed her freshman season with a third-place effort at the CAA Championship carding 75-79-78—232. The rookie had her best finish of the year when she tied for second place at the Rio Verde Invitational in March after posting a score of 145, which included a career-low 71 in the final round of the two-round event.

Patz, a senior from Plainfield, Ind., finished her career with a scoring average of 77.5, which was second on the team. Earlier in the season she was named the CAA Women’s Golfer of the Month. At the CAA Championship Patz shot a 77-77-82---236 to secure a fourth place finish. She was named to the All-Tournament team for her effort.

She had two top five finishes and three top 10 finishes and had her best round at the Le Triomphe Collegiate Invitational where she carded a 228 (+12) and finished tied for second place.

Patz’s second team honor was the third of her career. She also earned the award in 2010 and 2011.

Xavier finished third as a team in its final CAA Women’s Championship.

May 8, 2013
BASEBALL

Bearcats Down Musketeers In Rain-Soaked Game

Game Was Hampered By Two-Hour Rain Delay

CINCINNATI – Cincinnati defeated Xavier, 10-2, in a rain-plagued affair on Wednesday evening at Marge Schott Stadium on the Bearcats’ campus. Play was halted after three innings for a rain delay, which lasted nearly two hours before resuming.

Xavier (24-23) got started in the first inning on a Patrick Paligraf bunt single. Derek Hasenbeck and Vinny Nittoli followed with singles of their own to load the bases with one down. Paligraf scored on a high-chopping hit from Joe Forneyf that was misplayed by Forrest Perron at third.

Cincinnati (20-29) answered in the bottom half of the inning, taking advantage of three Xavier miscues in the frame. UC managed only two hits, but scored two runs.

Stephen Schoettmer took the second pitch he saw as the lead-off batter in the second inning and blasted a home run to left center, evening the score at two-all. It was the second home run of the season for Schoettmer.

The Bearcats came back with two more runs in their next at bat to regain the lead, 4-2. The runs were scored on one hit and another Musketeer error, their fourth of the contest. UC tacked on another run in the fifth.

XU had a great chance to put runs on the board in the sixth. Jacob Bodner, Mitch Elliott and Schoettmer all singled to load the bases with just one out in the frame. But, Tres Eberhardt was called out on strikes and Paligraf fouled out to end the threat.

The missed opportunity hurt Xavier. Cincinnati came back and scored two more runs in its at bat in the sixth and three more in the seventh to blow the game open with a 10-2 lead.

Zach Johnson (0-1) earned his first start of the season, pitching three innings and surrendering four runs before the rain delay. He was replaced by Eric Steine when play resumed in the fourth. Steine allowed three runs on three hits after working into the sixth. Cincinnati picked up three runs off of Daniel Przeniczny, who closed the final three innings for XU.

Thomas Gentile entered for Cincinnati following the break and picked up the victory to move to 4-1 on the year. Christian McElroy started for the Bearcats, giving up two runs in three innings.

Xavier hosts A-10 foe Massachusetts this weekend in a three-game series that has A-10 Tournament implications for the Musketeers. XU enters the series as one of the final teams slotted for the tournament, but several teams are within striking distance.

May 7, 2013
BASEBALL

Xavier Drops 5-3 Decision To Cincinnati

Two Teams Meet Again Wednesday

CINCINNATI – Xavier lost to Cincinnati, 5-3, at Hayden Field on Tuesday afternoon. The Musketeers now stand at 24-22 overall, while the Bearcats are 19-29.

Cincinnati’s Justin Glass started the scoring early with a home run to right field as just the second batter in the game. Xavier responded with three runs of its own in the bottom half of the inning.

The Musketeers capitalized on two-consecutive miscues from the Bearcats’ shortstop Matt Williams. Mark Elwell, Patrick Paligraf and Tres Eberhardt reached on errors and a hit batter, setting up Vinny Nittoli’s RBI single. Joe Forney scored Paligraf on an RBI groundout and Jake Forrester plated Eberhardt on a sac fly.

Xavier threatened with two hits in the fourth inning. Bo Slemons and Stephen Schoettmer singled in the frame. Schoettmer was thrown out at second on a fielder’s choice groundout by Michael Moore and Elwell flew out to end the threat.

UC struck for three runs in the sixth to grab a 4-3 lead. Glass connected on his second homer of the game, a two-run shot to right, and Devin Wenzel laid down a squeeze bunt to score Ian Happ.

A triple by Williams in the eighth scored the Bearcats fifth and final run and extended UC’s lead to 5-3.

The Musketeers made a run in their final at bat of the game, loading the bases in the ninth. Schoettmer singled to give XU its first base runner, but was later thrown out on a fielder’s choice grounder by pinch-hitter Derek Hasenbeck. Mitch Elliott pinch ran for Hasenbeck.

Elwell extended the inning with a bunt single and Patrick Paligraf loaded the bases on UC’s third fielding error of the game. Eberhardt battled at the plate and eventually lifted a ball to deep center field, which the Bearcats’ centerfielder caught on the run.

Sean Campbell took the loss for Xavier falling to 0-2. Campbell pitched two innings and surrendered three runs on three hits. Nittoli allowed one run on two hits in five innings in the starting nod. Jacob Bodner, who gave up one run, and Alex Vice each tossed one inning in relief.

Pitching in relief for Cincinnati, Mark Downs earned the victory to improve to 1-0 on the year. Andrew Strenge worked the final two innings, securing his ninth save on the season.

Xavier and Cincinnati will meet again on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at UC’s Marge Schott Stadium.