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CONWAY, S.C. - The University of Cincinnati baseball team was either tied or leading through five and a half innings, but ultimately lost an up and down battle with Ball State University, 4-3, on Friday morning on the campus of Coastal Carolina University.
Manny Rodriguez (Brooklyn, N.Y./Calvert Hall) had a game-high three hits for his third multi-hit game of the season. The sophomore has totaled eight hits in the last five games for the Bearcats, with today's total matching his career high which he set twice last season.
// Notables
- With the loss, Cincinnati drops to 1-8 on the year while Ball State advances to 4-6.
- J.T. Perez (0-1) took the loss after going 6.0 innings in his second start of the season. BSU's Colin Brockhouse (1-1) earned the victory out of the bullpen.
- Connor McVey (Mason, Ohio/Mason) led off the fourth inning with a single and has hit safely in the last five games for the Bearcats.
- Cincinnati recorded a season-high 10 hits in the game with eight different players recording a hit.
- UC batters struck out seven times in the game which ties a season low (vs. South Alabama, Feb. 28).
- The game was the second of four games at the Chanticleer Classic on the campus of Coastal Carolina University. UC will face Ball State again at 7 p.m. on Saturday and No. 13 Ole Miss at 11 a.m. on Sunday.
- The pitching tandem of Perez and sophomore David Orndorff (Pasadena, Calif./Pasadena Polytechnic) gave up just one base on balls, a new season low. It is the lowest total of walks for Cincinnati pitchers since not walking a single batter against Memphis on May 3, 2015.
// Key Innings
Top of the Third
Junior R.J. Thompson (Mason, Ohio/Mason) led off the inning with a walk and moved to second base on a balk by BSU pitcher Zach Plesac. Sophomore Kyle Mottice followed with a sacrifice bunt to send Thompson to third before a single by Rodriguez brought home the game's first run and gave UC a 1-0 lead.
Top of the Fourth
Cincinnati tacked on another run in the fourth when a two-out single by senior Devin Wenzel (Blandon, Pa./Fleetwood Area) scored McVey from second for a 2-0 Bearcats advantage.
Bottom of the Fourth
Ball State responded with a pair of runs to tie the score at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning. A bases-loaded hit by pitch scored the first run before a sacrifice fly brought home the second. The Cardinals threatened to score more but a 5-4-3 double play ended the inning with a 2-2 tie.
Top of the Fifth
The Bearcats scored a run for the third consecutive inning to re-gain at 3-2 lead in the fifth. With two outs, McVey reached on a BSU throwing error and scored on the first-career triple from sophomore Ryan Noda (Volo, Ill./Grant) in the next at bat.
Bottom of the Sixth
The Cardinals again tied the score in the sixth inning when Caleb Stayton led off the frame with a solo homerun to right center field for a 3-3 score. Four batters later, a single by Sean Kennedy just snuck under the glove of a diving Mottice to score Colin Brockhouse and give Ball State its first lead of the day at 4-3.
// Up Next
UC and Ball State will play the second game of their Saturday double-header at 7 p.m. on March 5.
// 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.