AU Baseball Falls to 1-2 after 8-3 Setback at Bellarmine
February 26, 2006

By Paul Carmany, AU Sports Information

Defensive lapses in the bottom of the fifth inning on Sunday (Feb. 26) cost the Ashland University baseball team dearly in its third and final weekend tilt with Bellarmine. Two costly Eagle errors led to six unearned runs in the frame and the Knights went on to take an 8-3 decision.

Bellarmine, which took two out of three games in the weekend series, is now 3-2. AU falls to 1-2.

The Eagles led, 2-0, after three and a half innings. Casey Jirsa, who went 3-for-5 on the afternoon, drilled an RBI double in the top of the first and John Hosgood smacked his first home run at Ashland, a solo shot in the top of the fourth.

The Knights halved the lead in the bottom of the fourth before the disastrous bottom of the fifth inning.

In that session, Bellarmine had a runner on first base with two outs when a Hosgood error prolonged the inning. In total, the home team sent 10 men to the plate, scoring six times on three base hits. Two errors and a balk cost the Eagles.

AU got one run back in the top of the eighth, when Ray Frisbee hit a sacrifice fly to plate Jirsa. However, a double play cut the rally short, Bellarmine got its run back in the bottom of the eighth, and the contest ended as an 8-3 win by the Knights.

Jim Barry, making his first start of the season, was the tough-luck loser. He yielded six hits in 4.2 innings, striking out a half dozen batters. Ryan Douglas made a successful return from arm surgery, pitching 2.2 innings of hitless relief, fanning three.

Ryan Morrison was the winning pitcher, going seven innings. He scattered eight hits, gave up a pair of earned runs, walked four and struck out five.

Hosgood, Eric Zattlin and Justin Randall each had a pair of hits for Ashland.

The Eagles will travel to Fort Myers, FL, for the Gene Cusic Classic. AU’s contests in the Sunshine State will commence March 3.