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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The University of Cincinnati baseball team got behind early and couldn't muster a big enough comeback, dropping game two of Saturday to Tennessee by a 6-2 margin.
The Bearcats (6-8) dropped both ends of the doubleheader and Tennessee improved to 11-2 on the young campaign.
R.J. Thompson (Mason, Ohio/Mason) finished 2-for-4 with a double and RBI while Connor McVey (Mason, Ohio/Mason) had a hit and RBI and Cole Murphy (Cincinnati, Ohio/Walnut Hills) tagged a double.
UC used six pitchers on the day with Clayton Colvin (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Jerome) taking the loss in his first start of 2017. Tanner Schimmoeller (Ottawa, Ohio/Ottawa-Glandorf) went 1.1 innings, Jack Bergren (Chicago, Ill./Lane Tech) faced one batter, Robinson (Dayton, Ohio/Centerville), Issac Olson (Glendale, Mo./Chaminade College Prep) and Nathan Kroger (Loveland, Ohio/Milford) each added an inning. The relievers scattered a pair of runs, seven hits and two walks over the final four-plus innings.
// NOTABLES
▪ The two teams are meeting in Knoxville for the first time since the 1986 season.
▪ The Bearcats are 6-19-1 all-time against Tennessee.
▪ Colvin made his first start of the year, going 3.1 innings, giving up five hits, four runs and walking one.
// KEY INNINGS
Bottom of the Second
Tennessee opened up the scoring for the first time in the series with the Volunteers playing some small ball. Santiago hit a one-out single up the middle and later advanced to second on a wild pitch. moved the runner over on a groundout to short. Derkay walked, setting up a similar play to how the Bearcats scored on Friday night. Derkay broke for second and stayed alive long enough for Santiago to score from third, putting UT up 1-0.
Bottom of the Fourth
Tennessee added three runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 4-0 lead. Charleston singled to left field and advanced to second on a balk. Ammons hit a two-run homer on a 1-2 count. Rodgers fouled out for the first out of the frame. Santiago singled to left and singled through the left side to chase Colvin from the game. Schimmoeller came in and the runners both advanced a base on a wild pitch. Santiago was thrown out at home by Rodriguez on a fielder's choice from Derkay. Bartlett singled to right field and played . Thornton walked and Moberg out to end the threat.
Bottom of the Fifth
Charleston led off with a bunt single down the line and later stole second. He advanced to third on an Ammons ground out. Rodgers popped out to first base and Schimmoeller was lifted for Bergren. Charleston scored on a wild pitch. Santiago singled and was later thrown out at second trying to steal.
Top of the Sixth
UC got on the board with a pair of runs to make the score 5-2. Mottice walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch following a Mercer groundout. McVey singled to left center to plate Mottice. Thompson doubled to right center to score McVey. Thompson took third on a wild pitch but Alldred and Rodriguez both struck out swinging to end the inning.
Bottom of the Seventh
Olson came in to pitch for UC, relieving Robinson. Moberg led off with a double to right field and later advanced to third on a wild pitch. Charleston out to center field and Moberg tagged up and scored on the play, making the margin 6-2 in favor of the Volunteers. Ammons fouled out to third and Rodgers singled to the pitcher. Santiago singled to second and Rodgers advanced on the play. The Vols executed a double steal to advance the runners, but after a single by through the left side, Santiago was out at third for interference to end the inning.
// UP NEXT
UC will hit the road Tuesday for a 6:30 p.m. matchup up I-75 at Wright State. UC returns home to Marge Schott Stadium to start a five-game homestand against Miami (Ohio). The Bearcats and RedHawks are scheduled for a 4 p.m. ET first pitch ahead of a three-game weekend series with Northeastern. All five games this week will be broadcast via BearcatsTV 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 games can be purchased for as little $15. For more information, visit GoBEARCATS.com/tickets or call 1-877-CATS-TIX. Single-game tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for youths (ages 4-12) and seniors (ages 65 and up).