Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Houston
Baseball Falls at Houston, 10-1
5/16/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
HOUSTON - The Marshall University baseball team dropped the series finale at Houston, 10-1 on Sunday afternoon at Cougar Field. The Cougars took two-of-three in the series, after the two squads split a doubleheader on Saturday.
The loss evens the Thundering Herd's Conference USA record at 12-12, with a 23-28 overall tally. The three-game series ended the C-USA regular season for MU, as the 12 wins are the most in school history and marks the first time the Herd finished .500 or better in league play.
UH improves to 22-28 and 9-12 in C-USA.
In one of his best starts of the season, UH starter Eric Brooks (5-2) logged 7.2 innings, scattered eight hits and allowed one earned run, while fanning six to earn the victory on the UH hill.
Kurt Lipton tallied three singles for the MU offense and finished the series 8-for-12 at the plate.
The Cougars got the ball rolling in the second against Arik Sikula (6-4). The righty Sunday stopper for the Herd, retired the side in the first, but the second frame was not as kind to the South Charleston native. UH strung together a trio of hits along with the MU defense committing two errors en route to a four-run frame to put MU in an early hole.
Brooks cruised through the first third of the contest, prior to MU mounting a threat in the fourth. Justin Maynard reached on an infield miscue and Lipton lined a single to center placing Herd base runners on the corners. Brooks tallied a strikeout and received an inning-ending double play to send the game to the bottom of the frame.
The Herd put Brooks in trouble again in the fifth as he walked Alfredo Brito and Kenny Socorro with two down. The right-hander retired Kris Hecktor on a fly out to keep the four-run advantage intact.
UH scored two more times in the fifth, highlighted by a M.P. Cokinos RBI single to centerfield.
Sikula ended the game tossing 5.1 innings, surrendering six runs (three earned) on eight hits with a pair of strikeouts.
Brooks held the Herd scoreless into the top of the eighth frame. MU recorded four hits in the inning, but managed just one run on a RBI single from Eric Semeniuk. Righty reliever Matt Creel entered in place of Brooks and recorded the third out, escaping a bases loaded situation.
A four-run eighth for the Cougars, including a homer from Chris Wallace rounded out the day's scoring.
The Herd hosts Radford for a midweek game on Tuesday at the Kennedy Center. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
