TicketsFeb. 25, 2017
PDF Box Score
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. - The University of Cincinnati baseball team scored two runs in the sixth inning and another in the seventh to comeback from a 3-2 deficit and beat the College of Charleston 5-4 on Saturday afternoon in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. The win event the series at 1-1 and the teams will battle in the rubber match on Sunday.
Senior R.J. Thompson (Mason, Ohio/Mason) continued his hot start to the season, recording a pair of hits, including a 2-RBI double that tied the score at 4-4 in the sixth inning. Freshman Eric Santiago (Bethlehem, Pa./Notre Dame Green Pond) followed in the seventh inning, launching his first-career hit over the fence in left field to provide the go-ahead run for the Bearcats.
A.J. Kullman (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy Liberty) picked up his second victory of the season after pitching the final 4.0 innings from the bullpen. The sophomore did not allow a run and gave up just one hit in the outing.
// NOTABLES
- With the win, Cincinnati improves to 2-3 on the season while College of Charleston falls to 3-3.
- Kullman moves to 2-0 on the year while CofC's Jakob Frishmuth (0-1) took the loss.
- It was the second-ever meeting between the two teams with the all-time series evened at 1-1 after Friday's win by the Cougars.
- Thompson led the offense, going 2-for-4 from the plate with a pair of RBIs. Jace Mercer (Johns Creek, Ga./Johns Creek) also had two hits for Cincinnati, a career-high for the freshman.
- Santiago's go-ahead homerun in the top of the seventh inning was his first-career hit.
- Junior Ryan Noda (Volo, Ill./Grant) hit his first homerun of the year against the Cougars, a solo shot to lead off the third inning. He led the Bearcats with six homeruns a season ago.
- It was the first multi-homerun game of the season for Cincinnati.
- In addition to Santiago, sophomore Mason DeAnna notched his first-career hit, a single in the eighth inning.
- Cincinnati recorded five extra-base hits in the contest with doubles by Mercer, Thompson and sophomore A.J. Bumpass (Rougemont, N.C./Northern) and homeruns by Noda and Santiago.
// KEY INNINGS
Top of the Third
After the Cougars had taken a 1-0 lead on a solo homerun in the second, Noda wasted little time tying the score, leading off the frame with an opposite-field solo shot. The bearcats weren't finished in the frame as Mercer singled and cleared three bases on Bumpass' double to put the Bearcats ahead 2-1.
Bottom of the Fifth
College of Charleston got to starting pitcher J.T. Perez (Orrville, Ohio/Orrville) in the fifth, hitting three consecutive singles to load the bases with no outs. A groundout scored one run and moved the runners before a double by Bradley Dixon brought home two more for a 4-2 lead for the home team.
Top of the Sixth
The Bearcats had an immediate answer in the sixth and executed offensively when a sacrifice bunt by four-hole hitter Cole Murphy (Cincinnati, Ohio/Walnut Hills) put a pair of runners in scoring position for Thompson. The senior shot a hard-hit ball down the left field line, scoring Bumpass and redshirt junior Connor McVey (Mason, Ohio/Mason) to again tie the score at 4-4.
Top of the Seventh
Santiago's homerun came with two outs in the seventh inning on a 2-0 pitch that he sent over the fence down the left field line. It proved to be the winning run for the Bearcats.
// UP NEXT
For the second straight weekend, the Bearcats will enter the Sunday's game with a chance to win the series. The rubber match between Cincinnati and the College of Charleston will begin at 1 p.m. on Feb. 26 from the Ballpark at Patriots Point and can be heard live on GoBearcats.com.
// 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 24 home matches can be purchased for as little $15. For more information, visit GoBEARCATS.com/tickets or call 1-877-CATS-TIX.