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OXFORD, Ohio - The University of Cincinnati baseball team scored eight unanswered runs to turn a 4-0 deficit into an 8-6 win over Miami (Ohio), Tuesday inside McKie Park at Hayden Field.
UC evened its record at 14-14 on the season while Miami fell to 7-20.
After plating a pair of runs in the top of the fourth, Treg Haberkorn (Leo, Ind./Leo) led off the fifth with a solo home run over the right field fence to a four-run inning that saw the Bearcats take a lead they would not relinquish. UC added a pair of runs in the sixth and gave two back to the RedHawks in the bottom of the ninth, but hung on with another strong outing from the bullpen.
True freshman Nathan Kroger (Loveland, Ohio/Milford) pitched a career-long 5.2 innings in relief of starter A.J. Olasz (West Mifflin, Pa./West Mifflin) and got the win, his second of the campaign. Kroger pitched a gem but ran into trouble with two outs in the ninth. He got a pair of but gave up a pinch-hit double to Grant Hartwig and a two-run home run to Ross Haffey. The two runs were the first Kroger had given up in relief this season.
Prior to the runs crossing the plate, Kroger had thrown 13.2 innings of scoreless relief. He went a career-long 5.2 innings Tuesday, giving up the two runs on six hits, walking three and fanning two.
David Orndorff (Pasadena, Calif./Pasadena Polytechnic) came on to strikeout Dallas Hall for the final out of the game and his fifth save of the season. Bailey Martin took the loss and fell to 1-1 on the year.
Olasz threw 3.0 innings, giving up five hits and four runs, striking out two and walking one in the no-decision. The four runs all came in the first inning on a windy night in Oxford. Miami's Tyler Harris hit a grand-slam home run to right field, a ball that looked like a routine fly, but kept carrying over the wall in the wind to put Miami up 4-0 early.
Eric Santiago (Bethlehem, Pa./Notre Dame Green Pond) got the Bearcats on the board in the top of the fourth with a two-RBI single to center field to score Connor McVey (Mason, Ohio/Mason) and Jace Mercer (Johns Creek, Ga./Johns Creek).
After Haberkorn's dinger, A.J. Bumpass (Rougemont, N.C./Northern), McVey and Ryan Noda (Volo, Ill./Grant) drew back-to-back-to-back walks to load the bases. Bumpass scored on a wild pitch and McVey scored on a Santiago ground out. Mercer singled to plate Noda, giving the Bearcats a 6-4 lead.
UC scored two more in the sixth with some heads-up base running. A leadoff walk by Joey Thomas (Mason, Ohio/Mason) leadoff walk and by Manny Rodriguez (Brooklyn, N.Y./Calvert Hall) led to a sacrifice bunt by Haberkorn to move the runners up. From there, R.J. Thompson (Mason, Ohio/Mason) singled to the pitcher, who couldn't get the ball out of his glove cleanly and Thomas was able to score. Rodriguez scored a play later after a failed pick-off on Thompson went high and wide.
Mercer finished the game 3-for-5 with while Thompson had a pair of hits and an RBI. Santiago had a hit and 2 runs batted in while McVey and Noda drew three walks apiece.
// NOTABLE
· UC and Miami have played 183 times in one of the most historic rivalries on the Bearcats schedule. Miami leads 101-73-9 in the series with nine unknown results.
· UC has won six-straight games in the series.
· Temperature at first pitch was 60 degrees, 21 degrees warmer than the last time the teams met this season, on a 41-degree night at Marge Schott Stadium in early March.
// KEY INNINGS
Top of the First
Miami drew first blood with four runs in the first on a grand-slam home run by Tyler Harris. Cal Elvers led off with a single up the middle, Adam Yacek singled to third base and Ross Haffey drew a 3-2 walk to load the bases. After the home run, Olasz induced a fly out from Dallas Hall, got a ground out to third from Landon Stephens, but gave up a double to left to Hayden Senger before striking out Tom Kelley looking.
Top of the Fourth
UC cut the RedHawks lead in half in the fourth, getting to Graham the second time through the order. McVey led off with a walk. Noda singled through the right side and moved McVey over to third. Santiago singled to center field to score McVey and Mercer struck out swinging. Santiago and Noda executed a double steal ahead of Thomas hitting a sacrifice liner to left center to score Noda.
Top of the Fifth
UC added four runs in the fifth to take a 6-4 lead. Haberkorn led off with a solo home run lined over the wall in right field. Graham was pulled for Bailey Martin. Thompson grounded out and Bumpass, and Noda drew back-to-back-to-back walks and Martin was lifted for Spencer Mraz. Bumpass scored on a wild pitch to knot things up at four apiece. Santiago grounded out for the second out but McVey scored and Noda went to third. Mercer singled up the middle on the first pitch of his to score Noda. Mercer was thrown out trying to steal second on a timely pitchout by the RedHawks to end the four-run inning.
Top of the Sixth
UC added a pair in the sixth to boost its lead to 8-4. Thomas walked on four pitches to lead off the inning and advanced to second on a single to right by Rodriguez. Haberkorn hit a sacrifice bunt down the third-base line to move the runners up. Thompson singled to the pitcher, but Mraz couldn't get it out of his glove cleanly and Thomas scored and Rodgiurez went to third. Mraz tried to pick off Thompson at first, but the throw was high and wide, sending Rodriguez across the plate and Thompson to second. Bumpass drew his second-straight walk to put runners on first and second and Andy Almquist replaced Mraz. McVey hit a fielder's choice to second, Bumpass was out on the play and the Bearcats had runners on the corners with two outs. Noda walked to load the bases, his third walk of the game. Santiago grounded out to the pitcher to close the frame.
// UP NEXT
UC returns to Marge Schott Stadium this weekend for an American Athletic Conference series against Tulane. The two squads will start off with a 6 p.m. ET matchup on Friday, a 4 p.m. affair on Saturday and a 1 p.m. series finale on Sunday.
// HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION
Live audio and video coverage of the weekend set against the Green Wave will be available through the BearcatsTV platform on GoBEARCATS.com. Matt Noonan (play-by-play) will call the action.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati baseball, please visitGoBEARCATS.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, visitGoBEARCATS.com/tickets or call 1-877-CATS-TIX.