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CINCINNATI -- The University of Cincinnati baseball team came from six runs down to tie the score in the seventh but ultimately fell 8-7 to East Carolina on Saturday afternoon at Marge Schott Stadium. The game was the final of the regular season for the Bearcats.
The Bearcats honored former legend Kevin Youkilis before the game by retiring his No. 36 jersey. Youkilis also celebrated his retirement from Major League Baseball in a postgame party.
Junior Ian Happ (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon) had three hits, two RBIs and a run scored for the Bearcats while freshman Manny Rodriguez (Brooklyn, N.Y./Calvert Hall) added three hits and two runs scored.
//NOTABLES
- With the loss, Cincinnati finished the season with a 15-39 overall mark and a 6-18 record in the American. East Carolina ends with at 36-20 and 15-9.
- Relief pitcher Mitch Patishall (Pendleton, Ind./Pendleton Heights) (0-3) took the loss despite tossing his best outing of the season with 4.1 innings pitched, three hits, one run and one strikeout.
- Freshman Manny Rodriguez (Brooklyn, N.Y./Calvert Hall) tied career highs with three hits and two runs scored.
- Head coach Ty Neal penciled six freshmen into the starting lineup and has started at least four youngsters in each game this season. Freshman Ryan Noda (Volo, Ill./Grant) has started every game for UC.
- The Bearcats will be the No. 8 seed in next week's American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship in Clearwater, Florida. Cincinnati will play No. 1 Houston on Tuesday, May 19, at 7 p.m. The game will be televised live on the CBS Sports Network.
// KEY INNINGS
Top of the Second
East Carolina connected for five runs in the second inning for a 5-0 lead. Bryce Harman and Charlie Yorgen both hit two-run homeruns in the inning to boost the Pirates.
Bottom of the Third
The Bearcats got a run back in the third after Rodriguez tripled to right center to open the frame and scored on a groundout by Sophomore R.J. Thompson (Mason, Ohio/Mason). Freshman Treg Haberkorn (Leo, Ind./Leo) then reached on an error and Happ singled to put two runners on but UC could not bring them home.
Top of the Fifth
The Pirates scored two runs to extend the lead to 7-1 in the fifth. An error contributed to the first run while a bases-loaded groundout scored another for ECU. Patishall entered to pitch for the bearcats and induced a popup and a groundout to end the threat.
Bottom of the Fifth
The Bearcats came back with two runs in the bottom of the inning. A Rodriguez single and a Haberkorn double put two runners in scoring position before a double by Happ brought them both home. Happ moved to third on a groundout and junior Devin Wenzel (Blandon, Pa./Fleetwood Area) was walked but UC couldn't manage to score any more runs.
Bottom of the Seventh
After adding a run in the sixth inning, the Bearcats scored three runs to tie the score in the seventh. After Happ's second double of the game, freshman Joey Thomas (Mason, Ohio/Mason) hit a ball up the middle that ricocheted off the pitcher to score one run. The next batter, Wenzel, then lined a homerun over the right field fence to even the game at 7-7.
Top of the Eighth
A one-out double by Luke Lowery scored Eric Tyler from first base to put the Pirates ahead 8-7.
//UP NEXT
The Bearcats will be the No. 8 seed in next week's American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship in Clearwater, Florida. Cincinnati will play No. 1 Houston on Tuesday, May 19, at 7 p.m. The game will be televised live on the CBS Sports Network.
//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.
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