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SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Junior Ian Happ (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon) tied a career high with three hits in the game to lead the University of Cincinnati baseball team in an 11-3 defeat at Santa Clara University on Friday night at Stephen Schott Stadium.
The right fielder showed his dominance on the mound and in the field, going 3-for-5 with a double, two singles, an RBI and a stolen base while also notching an outfield assist to gun down a runner at the plate.
// Notables
- The Bearcats drop to 1-4 with the loss while Santa Clara improves to 2-3 on the season.
- Senior Ryan Atkinson (0-1) was handed the loss and SCU's Jacob Steffans (1-1) earned the victory, going 7.0 innings and recording 11 strikeouts.
- Head coach Ty Neal penciled four freshmen into the starting lineup and has started at least four freshman in each game this season. Freshmen Ryan Noda (Volo, Ill./Grant) and Manny Rodriguez (Brooklyn, N.Y./Calvert Hall) have started all five games for UC.
- Happ hit two singles and a double in his first three plate appearances to tie a career high with three hits in the ballgame. It was the 11th time in his career he has recorded three hits in a game.
- Freshman Treg Haberkorn (Leo, Ind./Leo) notched his first-career RBI in the ninth when his single through the right side scored T.J. Galenti (Stillwater, Minn./IMG Academy).
- Matt Fowler (Loveland, Ohio/ Kings) made his collegiate debut when he entered on the mound in the eighth inning. He recorded his first-career strikeout in the frame.
- Galenti made his collegiate debut with a pinch-hit appearance in the top of the ninth, drawing a walk.
- The homerun launched by SCU's Jose Vizcaino, Jr., in the bottom of the third inning was the first long ball allowed by the Bearcats this season.
- The Bearcats struck out 13 times in the game, tying season-high which they first set against No. 14 Mississippi State on Feb. 13.
// Key Innings
Top of the First
Sophomore Connor McVey (Mason, Ohio/Mason) singled on the first pitch of the game and moved to third on a single by Happ. Two batters later, junior Devin Wenzel singled to score McVey and give the Bearcats an early 1-0 lead.
Bottom of the Second
Sophomore starting pitcher Andrew Zellner (Farmersville, Ohio/Farmersville) got himself in a jam in the bottom of the second with a walk, a single and two wild pitches. With two outs, senior Ryan Atkinson (Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain) entered on the mound for UC and walked to more batters to score a run before escaping the inning.
Top of the Third
Cincinnati immediately got a run back in the third inning when double by Happ scored McVey from first base to put the Bearcats ahead 2-1.
Bottom of the Third
It was Santa Clara's turn to score in the bottom of the third inning, using a solo homerun by Jose Vizcaino, Jr., to re-tie the score at 2-2.
Bottom of the Sixth
The Broncos grabbed their first lead of the game in the sixth when a single by Kyle Cortopassi brought home a runner from third base. The damage could have been worse for Cincinnati, but a perfect throw from right fielder Happ gunned down a runner at the plate for the second out of the inning.
Bottom of the Seventh
Santa Clara took control of the game in the seventh, scoring six runs on five hits for a 9-2 lead. Te Broncos sent 12 batters to the plate in the inning which saw both redshirt sophomore Colton Cleary (Nicholasville, Ky./Lexington Catholic) and freshman Jarod Yoakam (Marysville, Ohio/Marysville) on the mound for the Bearcats.
// Up Next
Cincinnati and Santa Clara will complete the three-game series with a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 21. The first game will be played at 3 p.m. PT/6 p.m. ET with the second game scheduled for 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET. Freshman Dalton Lehnen (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North) is scheduled to pitch the opening game for the Bearcats.
// Follow the Bearcats
For all of the latest information on Cincinnati baseball, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up to the minute updates, follow Cincinnati baseball (@UCincyBaseball) and Coach Neal (@Ty_Neal_UC) on twitter. You can also find the Bearcats on Facebook.
// Ticket Information
Season tickets for all 23 home matches can be purchased for as little $10. For more information, visit GoBEARCATS.com/tickets or call 1-877-CATS-TIX.
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