March 5, 2010

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - James Vazquez's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning Friday capped a three-run inning and vaulted the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville baseball team to a come-from-behind 13-12 win over Dayton Flyers in the opening game of the Austin Peay Riverview Inn Invitational.

Trailing 12-10 at the start off the frame, the Cougars loaded the bases against Flyers reliever Ian Gardek. Michael Hopkins and Travis Becherer each drew walks. In between, pinch-hitting Matt Highland singled. Adam Eggemeyer was hit by a pitch to force home a run, making it 12-11, chasing Gardek from the game.

Dayton shortstop Cole Tyrell took over on the mound and balked to allow Highland to score from third and tie the game 12-12. Vazquez flied to right field line, on a 3-0 pitch, scoring Becherer with the winning run.

The sacrifice fly was the only RBI for Vazquez, who finished the game 3 for 4.

The win capped a wild first game of the tournament, with both teams putting up big innings. SIUE, 2-5, took the lead with a five-run third inning. Dustin Brooks and Mike Hurt each drove in runs in the inning. Hurt's two-run single capped the frame.

Dayton, 4-6, answered with four runs in the top of the fourth off SIUE starter Spencer Patton to cut the Cougar lead to one at 5-4.

Patton, making his second start of the year, went 5.2 innings, allowing four runs on five hits. He struck out five and walked three. He did not get a decision.

"I thought Spencer had about four and two-thirds great innings," Cougars Head Coach Gary Collins said. "Just that one inning got away from him."

SIUE would stretch the lead to 10-4 with a five-run sixth inning, again capped by a big hit from Hurt. With two runs already in and the bases loaded, Hurt drove a double to the right-field gap clearing the bases. The shortstop finished the day 2 for 5 with five RBIs and a pair of runs scored.

The Flyers answered again. Joe Dorocak's grand slam capped a six-run seventh inning that evened the score at 10-10. SIUE used four pitchers over the course of the inning in which Dayton sent 12 hitters to the plate. Sophomore Brian Lorenz struck out clean-up hitter Aaron Dunsmore, with the bases loaded again, to end the inning.

Dayton scored single runs in the eighth and the ninth to take the 12-10 lead.

Lorenz, 1-0, finished the game for the Cougars. He allowed a pair of runs, one earned on three hits. He struck out one and did not walk a hitter.

"Kudos to Brian Lorenz he bailed us out of a tough inning and then ended up getting the win," Collins said.

In all, SIUE banged out a season-high 16 hits in the win. Hopkins was 3 for 5 with a pair of RBIs. Brooks was 2 for 5 with two RBIs. Eggemeyer and Mitch Matecki each had a pair of hits and an RBI for the Cougars.

The Cougars will face Milwaukee Saturday in a doubleheader. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. The games are available on WSIE FM 88.7.

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