Baseball / Cincinnati improves to .500 behind Pursinger’s seven RBIs in home opener

Cincinnati improves to .500 behind Pursinger’s seven RBIs in home opener

Date:  Source: Cincinnati Steam

By Jacob Russell

 

CINCINNATI, Ohio - Two three-run home runs by Steam first baseman Eddie Pursinger (Dayton) helped Cincinnati total 14 runs, more than they scored in the previous series (12), in their home opener against the Licking County Settlers.

 

Pursinger, who finished 3-4 with an RBI single and a walk on top of his two home runs, was the Warsaw Federal Player of the Game. He said he was happy to “get the first one off [his] back” after getting ahead in most of his at-bats and sitting on a fastball. With this two-homer performance, Pursinger is only five home runs away from matching his seven homers that led the Steam last summer.

 

Settlers starter Bowen Bock, a right-hander from Kennesaw State, gave the Steam two bases in the bottom of the first inning by hitting second baseman Brett Benzinger (Thomas More) with a pitch and walking right fielder Alex Neff (Wright State), and Pursinger made him pay for it. His first home run of the night was a no-doubter over Max McLeary Field’s “Screen Monster” in right field.

 

A leadoff double off the right-field screen by Licking County designated hitter Casey Maniglia (UNC) gave the Settlers a great chance to trim Cincinnati’s three-run lead in the top of the second inning. Third baseman Evan Fromwiller (Ohio), the next batter, scored Maniglia on a single to right field.

 

Gephry Pena (UCF), who has started in center field and the leadoff spot in the Steam’s first four games, began the bottom of the third with a walk and two stolen bases. A throwing error by the Settlers’ third baseman allowed Pena to score and catcher Ben McCabe (UCF) to reach second. Much like in the first inning, Neff walked to become Cincinnati’s second base runner and gave Pursinger another RBI for his home run.

 

Bock was done after three innings with one strikeout, three walks, two hits and seven runs (one unearned).

 

Licking County center fielder Alec Taylor (Ohio State) cut the Steam’s lead to five runs in the top of the fourth by hitting a single that brought home catcher Phil Ferranti (Mercyhurst College). This run would end Cincinnati right-handed starter Jared Flueck’s night with three strikeouts, one walk, five hits and two runs (one unearned).

 

Back-to-back singles from two Settlers from Kennesaw State, first baseman Darius Diaz and right fielder Austin Moody, to lead off the top of the fifth inning put Steam right-handed reliever Alex Firsdon (Iowa Western CC) in a rough spot at the start of his relief appearance. The third single of the inning, this one from Fromwiller, loaded the bases with one out. Firsdon walked the next batter, second baseman Justin Perez (Franklin Pierce), which scored Diaz. A 1-4-3 double play helped Firsdon close out the inning and keep the game at 7-3.

 

RHP Cole Niekamp (Ohio State), Licking County’s first reliever of the night, struggled mightily in the bottom of the fifth after holding off Cincinnati in the fourth. Niekamp started the inning with a strikeout, but then loaded the bases with two walks, a hit batter and a wild pitch. Steam designated hitter Cam Rountree (Wright State) scored Pursinger with an RBI single. Left fielder Parker Massman (Miami) took a hit by pitch to plate shorstop Eddie Rivero (Xavier). Three more runs would score on two additional walks and a sacrifice fly to make the score 12-3.

 

As you may have guessed, Niekamp didn’t make it out of the fifth inning and was replaced by Hope College outfielder Konner Dodge. Niekamp left the game with two strikeouts, five walks, three hits, and five runs allowed in 1 ⅔ innings. Dodge would finish the inning and pitch a clean sixth with two strikeouts.

 

Four straight singles by Benzinger, McCabe, Neff, and Pursinger gave Settlers catcher Evan Knaus (Eastern Gateway CC) a rude welcome to the mound. Benzinger and McCabe scored before Knaus could record three outs. Despite his struggles, Knaus struck out two Steam batters in the bottom of the seventh.

 

While Licking County started sending position players to the mound, Firsdon blanked the Settlers in the sixth and seventh innings to finish with two strikeouts, one walk, seven hits and one run in three innings of work.

 

Licking County didn’t get the rally they needed to overcome their 14-3 deficit, but they did do some damage in the top of the eighth against Cincinnati lefty reliever Casey Grimm (Wright State Lake). It all began with a leadoff single by Taylor, a throwing error by Steam third baseman Drew Holderbach and an RBI double from Diaz that scored Taylor. Moody plated shortstop Sam Wilson (Ohio State) and Diaz with a three-run shot to right-center field.

 

Grimm, who ended with one strikeout, no walks, five hits and four runs (one unearned), was relieved by Cincinnati reliever Jack Dungan (Eastern Michigan), who got the last three outs to finish the Steam’s 14-7 win. The Settlers’ starting left fielder, Jarret Fowlkes (Southwest Tennessee CC), got the last three outs on the mound for Licking County.

 

Saturday night is “BBQ Night” at Max McLeary Field, and our projected starter is RHP Jordan Menfee (Southern Indiana). The last game of our series is “Kids Run The Bases Night” on Sunday night with Jake Schrand (Wright State) starting for Cincinnati. To keep up with the Steam, follow us at @CincinnatiSteam on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.