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NEW ORLEANS - The University of Cincinnati baseball team jumped out to an early lead and held on to beat No. 22 Tulane 7-4 on Sunday afternoon to win the series in New Orleans, Louisiana. Redshirt sophomore Connor McVey (Mason, Ohio/Mason) and freshman Vince Augustine (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) each hit a homerun in the first and second innings to give UC the insurmountable lead early.
The Bearcats also won in the series opener on Friday night by a score of 2-1. It is the third American Athletic Conference victory in as many weeks for the Bearcats this season and the first on the road. Cincinnati remains alone atop the standings with a 6-3 mark while UConn is half a game back at 5-3.
// Notables
- Cincinnati improves to 18-19 overall and 6-3 in The American while Tulane falls to 22-13 and 4-4.
- Sophomore reliever Jarod Yoakam (Marysville, Ohio/Marysville) (2-1) earned the victory after pitching 4.1 innings from the bullpen. Tulane starter Alex Massey (3-4) took the loss.
- The Bearcats turned their 38th double play of the season in the fifth inning. The mark is good for second in the American.
- McVey finished the day 2-for-3 with a homerun and a double. He also walked and was hit to get himself on base four times. It was his fourth homerun of the season and his team-leading 10th double.
- Augustine hit his second-career homerun off the scoreboard in the second inning to increase the Bearcats' lead to 5-0.
- Sophomore David Orndorff (Pasadena, Calif./Pasadena Polytechnic) gave the Bearcats a quality start on the mound, pitching 4.0 innings with just three hits and three strikeouts.
- Freshman A.J. Kullman (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty) made his second relief appearance of the series, recording the final two outs to protect the UC win.
- It was the first conference road series for the Bearcats this season. UC also won an American series against a ranked team on May 1-3, 2015, after beating No. 24 Memphis twice in Memphis, Tennessee.
- The Bearcats hit a pair of homeruns in the game, marking the team's sixth multi homerun game of the season for UC.
// Key Innings
Top of the First
Mottice led off the game with an infield single and McVey made Tulane pay with a two-run homerun over the left field fence for a 2-0 UC lead.
Bottom of the Second
Back-to-back singles by junior R.J. Thompson (Mason, Ohio/Mason) and sophomore Manny Rodriguez (Brooklyn, N.Y./Calvert Hall) put two runners on for Augustine who hit his second-career homerun off the scoreboard in left center field to push the Bearcats' victory to 5-0.
Top of the Seventh
McVey led off the inning with a double and moved to third on a groundout by senior Woody Wallace (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy). With two outs, freshman Cole Murphy (Cincinnati, Ohio/Walnut Hills) singled through the right side to score McVey and give UC a 7-1 lead.
Bottom of the Ninth
Tulane attempted a comeback in the ninth, scoring a pair of runs with a single and a sacrifice fly. But Kullman slammed the door, getting Lex Kaplan to ground out to end the game and give the series victory.
// Up Next
The Bearcats return to Ohio for a midweek matchup with Ohio State in Columbus on Tuesday, April 19. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on the BTN Plus 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 (@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.