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CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati baseball team picked up a wild win on Sunday afternoon, beating USF 4-3 on a 14th-inning walk off double by sophomore Joey Thomas (Mason, Ohio/Mason).
Due to the conference-mandated get-away day rules, the game was one out away from ending in UC's first tie since March 27, 1984. Instead, Thomas entered the game as a pinch hitter and lined a pitch into right field to score sophomore Kyle Mottice (Canal Fulton, Ohio/Jackson) from first base and give UC the dramatic victory.
It was the first walk off of Thomas' career and the second for the Bearcats this season. Ryan Noda (Volo, Ill./Grant) hit a walk-off homerun to beat Canisius in 10 innings on March 11.
The win secured the series victory for Cincinnati, its first conference-opening series win for the Bearcats since also taking two of three games from USF back in 2008.
// Notables
- Cincinnati improves to 14-13 on the year and 2-1 in The American while USF falls to 15-13 and 1-2.
- Sophomore Jarod Yoakam (Marysville, Ohio/Marysville) (1-1) earned his first win of the season after entering from the bullpen in the top of the 14th inning and recording the final out. USF reliever Andrew Perez (0-3) took the loss.
- It was the fourth extra-inning game for UC this season and the Bearcats are now 2-2 in those games.
- 14 innings is the longest game for UC since playing 15 against Saint Louis in a 5-4 victory on May 9, 2003.
- Sophomore David Orndorff (Pasadena, Calif./Pasadena Polytechnic) got the start and pitched 7.0 innings with three strikeouts and just one run allowed.
- Freshman pitcher A.J. Kullman (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty) threw a career-high 5.0 innings of shutout baseball from the bullpen and struck out a career-high six batters.
// Key Innings
Bottom of the Second
UC struck first in the second inning when a single by senior Woody Wallace (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy), a ground out by sophomore Treg Haberkorn (Leo, Ind./Leo) and a single by junior R.J. Thompson (Mason, Ohio/Mason) loaded the bases. Freshman Vince Augustine (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) came through with a clutch hit to score Wallace and give the Bearcats a 1-0 lead.
Bottom of the Fourth
Sophomore Manny Rodriguez (Brooklyn, N.Y./Calvert Hall) singled and stole second before scoring on a single by Mottice. The run gave the Bearcats a 3-1 lead.
Top of the Ninth
Holding onto a 3-1 lead, sophomore pitcher A.J. Olasz (West Mifflin, Pa./West Mifflin Area) recorded a groundout and a strikeout to put UC one out away from winning the game. With a runner on second, Cameron Montgomery blasted a pitch over the fence in left field to tie the game at 3-3 and force extra innings.
Top of the 10th
Kullman got himself into a bit of a jam in the 10th inning after giving up a walk and a hit by pitch to open the frame. Wallace aided his pitcher to catch the lead runner stealing for the first out before back-to-back strikeouts by Kullman ended the scoring threat and kept the game tied at 3-3.
Bottom of the 14th
In what was decided would be the final inning of the game, the Bearcats offense produced two quick outs to put the game one out away from ending in a tie. Thomas entered the game to pinch hit for freshman Cam Alldred (Batavia, Ohio/Cincinnati Country Day) and played hero with his double to score the winning run for Cincinnati.
// Up Next
The Bearcats will host a pair of midweek games next week on April 5 and 6. The Bearcats will play the Raiders of Wright State University on Tuesday at 6 p.m. before welcoming the Hoosiers of Indiana University on Wednesday at 6 p.m. UC is attempting to break a Marge Schott Stadium attendance record on Wednesday vs. IU. The current record for the facility is 2,200 set in 2004 on the stadium's first game.
// 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.