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CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati baseball team scored four runs in the first two innings and never looked back on the way to an 8-5 senior day win over UCF, Sunday in American Athletic Conference action at Marge Schott Stadium.
Seniors Connor McVey (Mason, Ohio/Mason), R.J. Thompson (Mason, Ohio/Mason) and Andrew Zellner (Farmersville, Ohio/Valley View) were honored in a pregame ceremony on the field.
Cincinnati (27-25, 9-12 American) got the offense from Thompson and Ryan Noda (Volo, Ill./Grant) scoring eight runs after struggling to score against UCF on Friday and Saturday. Thompson finished 3-for-4 with three runs driven in and a run scored while Noda was 2-for-3 with a triple, three runs scored and a walk.
Thompson led the game off with a single and later scored on a one-out single by McVey, giving UC a 1-0 lead. The Bearcats made it stick with three runs in the second after a Thompson bases-loaded single to right field scored Joey Thomas (Mason, Ohio/Mason) and an error in the outfield allowed Noda to score. groundout from A.J. Bumpass (Rougemont, N.C./Northern) scored Eric Santiago (Bethlehem, Pa./Notre Dame Green Pond).
UC added a single run in the fourth on another RBI single by Thompson, this time up the middle, which scored Noda. Two more runs crossed the plate in the fifth after McVey led off with a walk, stole his 11th base of the year and scored on a triple by Jace Mercer (Johns Creek, Ga./Johns Creek). Mercer scored on a sacrifice fly by Manny Rodriguez (Brooklyn, N.Y./Calvert Hall).
The Bearcats closed out their scoring barrage in the sixth when Noda led off with a triple that landed on the right-field line and kept rolling to the wall allowing him to later score on groundout by Thompson.
Four UC pitchers combined to get the Bearcats a win.
David Orndorff (Pasadena, Calif./Pasadena Polytechnic) got the start and picked up the win. He scattered one run, a solo home run in the fourth, and six hits over 4.0 innings of work, moving to 4-4 on the year. J.T. Perez (Orrville, Ohio/Orrville) went 1.2 innings with two strikeouts. Nathan Kroger (Loveland, Ohio/Milford) came in with a pair of runners on and UCF plated two runs, but he settled down after that and gave up a single run in the eighth before loading the bases with two outs in the ninth. Cam Alldred (Batavia, Ohio/Cincinnati Country Day) came in to get the final out of the game, getting his first career save and sealing the victory.
UCF's Joseph Sheridan took the loss and fell to 9-4 on the season.
// NOTABLE
· Zellner started in left field, playing the first inning. Santiago replaced him in the top of the second.
· UC had a number of defensive gems in the game, turning two double plays and making a pair of leaping catches against the wall in the outfield.
· Bumpass and McVey's RBIs tie them for the team lead with 26.
· Thompson led the way offensively this week, hitting .444 in five games. He finished 8-for-18 with a home run, two doubles, six runs driven up, four runs scored and four walks.
· Noda hit .385 with five hits, including two home runs. One of the home runs was a mammoth shot on the roof of Fifth Third Arena. He also scored seven runs, drove four in and walked five times.
· Thomas hit .353 for the week with two doubles and three RBIs
· McVey finished with three doubles in five games and four walks.
// UP NEXT
UC closes out the regular season this week with four games on the road. First up is a crosstown trip to Xavier on Tuesday, May 16 to face the Musketeers for the third time in 2017. Each time has one win in the series and the rubber match takes place at 3 p.m. ET at Hayden Field. Next weekend, the Bearcats travel to Houston for a Thursday-Saturday three-game set at Darryl & Lori Schroeder Park. Games on Thursday and Friday will start at 7:30 p.m. ET and Saturday's series finale goes at 2 p.m.
// HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION
Live audio coverage of UC's final four road games this week is available on GoBEARCATS.com. Matt Noonan (play-by-play) will call the action.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all 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.
A quick look back at today's senior day ceremonies. Thanks to @BearcatsTV for the quick turnaround! pic.twitter.com/hGxwDUEysU
-- Cincinnati Baseball (@GoBearcatsBASE) May 14, 2017
.@GoBearcatsBASE flash the leather in 8-5 win over UCF on Mother's Day. #Bearcats pic.twitter.com/c630XYINNG
-- Cincinnati Bearcats (@GoBEARCATS) May 14, 2017