Box Score Cincinnati, Ohio -- Beach Brooks hit a game-winning, walk-off
sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning as Cincinnati
spoiled a rally effort by the Youngstown State baseball team with a
7-6 win in the rubber game of a three-game series on Sunday.
Brooks' pinch-hit sacrifice fly came after YSU junior Joe Iacobucci hit a solo home run with two outs in the top of the ninth
to tie the score at 6-6. It was the Penguins' second one-run loss
in the ninth inning in eight days.
Anthony Porter and Iacobucci both went 2-for-4 and drove in two
runs for YSU. Mikel Huston was 4-for-4, and Kevin Johnson drove in
two runs for the Bearcats. YSU stranded 10 runners, and Cincinnati
left 11 men on base.
Porter's two RBIs came in the third inning when he hit a two-out
single with the bases loaded that scored Derek Carr and Greg Dissinger. Cincinnati answered right back in the bottom half with
five runs on four hits to take a 5-2 lead off starter Phil Klein,
who had an error in the inning that led to two unearned runs.
The Penguins cut the margin to one with two runs in the sixth as
Dissinger drove in a run and Carr walked with the bases loaded.
Iacobucci tied the game at 5-5 in the seventh with a single to
right that scored Eric Marzec, but the Penguins had runners at
second and third with one after a double steal and couldn't go
ahead.
Huston hit an RBI double to left in the eighth to put Cincinnati
ahead 6-5, and reliever Anthony Munoz came on to keep the lead from
growing by striking out the only two batters he faced with runners
at the corners.
After Iacobucci's solo blast in the top of the ninth, Jimmy
Jacquot hit a one-out triple off the wall in center to set up
Brooks' sacrifice fly.
Klein allowed three earned runs on six hits and three walks in
five innings of work for YSU in a no-decision. Munoz was charged
with the loss, allowing a run on one hit to offset his two
strikeouts. Andrew Burkett got the win for Cincinnati despite
allowing the tying run in the ninth.
YSU will begin a two-game series at Lipscomb on Tuesday at 5
p.m.