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CINCINNATI - Andrew Zellner (Farmersville, Ohio/Valley View) tossed his first-career complete game shutout to lead the University of Cincinnati baseball team to a 1-0 victory over Northwestern University on Saturday afternoon. The junior gave up back-to-back infield singles to lead off the game but allowed just one base runner the rest of the way to leave the Wildcats scoreless in the series opener.
// Notables
- Cincinnati improves to 7-11 on the year while Northwestern falls to 5-12.
- Zellner (2-1) earned the win while NU's Reed Mason (2-1) took the loss.
- It was the first complete-game shutout for the Bearcats since Tristan Hammans accomplished the feat against Xavier on April 15, 2015.
- The Bearcats have won six consecutive games for the first time since 2010.
- Redshirt sophomore Connor McVey (Mason, Ohio/Mason) singled in the third inning to extend his hitting streak to 14 games for the Bearcats. He got on base in all four of his plate appearances, including two walks and a hit by pitch.
- Sophomore Treg Haberkorn (Leo, Ind./Leo) drove in the game's only run with a single in the fourth inning.
- Junior R.J. Thompson (Mason, Ohio/Mason) scored the game's only run when he got the better of NU catcher Jack Claeys during a collision at the plate after coming home from second on the single by Haberkorn.
- The Bearcats stole a season-high seven bases in the game and have now swiped 25 bags in the last six games. It is the first time a UC team has stolen at least seven bases in a game since stealing eight in a game vs. Wright State on April 8, 2014.
- McVey finished with a career-high three stolen bases while senior Woody Wallace (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olantangy) added a career-high two stolen bases. Thompson and sophomore Manny Rodriguez (Brooklyn, N.Y./Calvert Hall) also swiped a bag for the Bearcats in the game. It marks the first time a UC player has stolen three bases in a game since Ian Happ did so on May 8, 2015, versus UConn.
- The Bearcats turned two double plays in the game and have 22 through 18 games of the season. The mark ranks fourth in the NCAA and first in the American Athletic Conference.
- Only one of the game's five hits, Haberkorn's RBI single, left the infield.
- The win is the 197th all-time at Marge Schott Stadium for the Bearcats.
// Key Innings
Top of the First
The Wildcats led off the game with back-to-back infield singles to put two runners on with no outs for Zellner. The defense immediately picked up him, turning a 6-4-3 double play before a strikeout by Zellner ended the threat and stranded a Northwestern runner on third.
Bottom of the Fourth
Thompson put himself on first with a 1-out bunt single and stole second base to get himself in scoring position. After a strikeout gave the Bearcats two outs in the frame, Haberkorn lined a pitched through the right side of the diamond for the second hit of the inning. Thompson didn't stop running at third and scored after a small collision with the catcher at the plate knocked the ball free to put the game's only run on the board.
Top of the Fifth
Connor Lind drew a leadoff walk for what would become the only base runner Zellner allowed after the first two batters. With a runner on first, Zellner induced a flyout and a 6-4-3 double play, the second of the game for UC, to end the inning.
Top of the Ninth
After already topping his previous career high of 7.2 innings pitched, Zellner remained in the game to attempt his first-career complete game. He preceded to strikeout Ben Dickey, Jake Garbarino and Jake Schieber to finish the job.
// Up Next
Cincinnati and Northwestern continue their three-game series on Sunday, March 20. The game will start at 1 p.m. at Marge Schott Stadium.
// 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 (@GoBearcatsBASE) and Coach Neal (@Ty_Neal_UC) on twitter. You can also find the Bearcats on Facebook.
// Ticket Information
Season tickets for all 25 home matches can be purchased for as little $15. For more information, visit GoBEARCATS.com/tickets or call 1-877-CATS-TIX.