Sunday, April 9, 2006

Cougar GameDay program
Game 1 box score
Game 2 box score

FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- The University of Saint Francis baseball team started the day with a 3-2 win over visiting Purdue University-North Central but the visiting Panthers (19-12) roared back for a 9-3 victory in game two, denying the Cougars (12-21) a Sunday sweep.

Game one starter Bart Schnur allowed just one earned run in seven innings of work to earn his second win of the season for USF. The rookie righty struck out four and limited the Panthers to just five hits.

PNC scored one of its two runs in the first to take a 1-0 lead as Steve Hudson singled to start the ballgame and scored on Tony Popov's RBI groundout. USF got the run back in the bottom of the third with Josh Widman singling home Jay Bidlack from third. Bidlack opened the inning with a double to right. Panther hurler John Babinski escaped further damage in the inning coaxing Jarrd Wehri into a 5-4-3 double play with one out and runners on the corners.

The Cougars pushed two more across in the fifth for the go-ahead and an insurance run. Pinch runner Darrion White slid across the dish on a Matt Altenburger single to put the Cougars up 2-1 and a Mickey Cassidy sac fly scored Jon Degitz from third to make it 3-1.

The visitors cut the deficit in half in the seventh but Schnur (2-4) fanned the final two batters to secure the complete-game win. Bidlack went 3-for-3 with an RBI and Widman finished 2-for-3 with a run batted in.

Game two was all PNC from the start as the Panthers touched junior righthander Kyle Mawer (0-5) for five runs in his three-plus innings of work. His counterpart, Shawn Kuhns, worked efficiently, striking out seven with only two hits in five innings.

The Panthers scored four more in the fourth off Cougar reliever Zach Byard and PNC relief pitching held USF off in the late going for a comfortable 9-3 win.

Popov was the hitting star of game two, collecting three hits in four trips with a three-run home run and five total RBI. Widman again went 2-for-3 with an RBI for USF.

The Cougars stay home for a Wednesday, April 12 make-up twin bill with Concordia University (Mich.). Originally scheduled for March 31, USF and the Cardinals will tangle for two beginning at 1 p.m.

-- GO USF --