Baseball Tripped Up By UK

Baseball Tripped Up By UKBaseball Tripped Up By UK

March 22, 2011

Box Score

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The University of Cincinnati baseball team fell to University of Kentucky 4-2 Tuesday at Cliff Hagan Stadium despite a strong outing from sophomore LHP Thomas Gentile (Westerville, Ohio/St. Francis DeSales).

Gentile made his first start of the season and performed admirably after recording career highs in innings pitched (six) and strikeouts (four), while allowing just two runs.

Cincinnati recorded 10 hits but scored just two runs scored largely due to hitting into two double plays and striking out 10 times. Overall 11 Bearcat runners were left stranded.

Kentucky scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the second inning after UK first baseman Luke Maile hit a sacrifice fly to score third baseman Thomas McCarthy.

A sacrifice bunt from Sam Vandenheuvel (Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton) set up UC's first run in the top of the fifth inning when UK pitcher Corey Littrell attempted a force out at third base, but junior catcher Jake Saylor (Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton) beat the throw to give Cincinnati bases loaded and no outs. The next batter, first baseman Nic Spence (Victoria, Australia/St. Joseph's), drove in Saylor with a fielder's choice groundball up the middle; however, the Bearcats were unable to produce another run in the inning.

Gentile showed his mettle in the bottom of the fifth inning when he was faced with a bases-loaded, no-out situation. After allowing a sacrifice fly to record the first out, the sophomore induced a double play to get out of the inning with minimal damage and UC trailing only 2-1.

After Kentucky tacked on two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to make the score 4-1, the Bearcats attempted a final comeback in the ninth.

After sophomore OF Jake Proctor (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) hit a double to set up runners on second and third with no outs, junior T.J. Jones (Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle) scored on a wild pitch to bring UC to within two runs at 4-2. The Bearcats could not muster another run.

UC continues its two-game midweek schedule with a 4 p.m. Wednesday tilt against the University of Toledo at Marge Schott Stadium.