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HOUSTON - A four-run eighth inning comeback came up short and the University of Cincinnati closed out the regular season with a 7-6 loss at Houston in American Athletic Conference on Saturday at Darryl & Lori Schroeder Park.
Houston scored five runs in the first and added a pair of crucial insurance runs in the fourth to edge the Bearcats. UC added single runs in the first and second and had a pair of runners on with no outs in the third, but saw UH starter John King retire 12 of the last 13 batters he faced in the game.
King picked up the win after going 7.0 innings with three strikeouts. Nathan Kroger (Loveland, Ohio/Milford) took his first loss off the season after giving up five in the first with only one out. The freshman is 3-1 in 2017.
Freshman Eric Santiago (Bethlehem, Pa./Notre Dame Green Pond) tied a career high with three hits, including a double and added three RBIs and a run scored. Senior R.J. Thompson (Mason, Ohio/Mason) was 2-for-4 with two doubles, a run scored and a walk. Freshman Jace Mercer (Johns Creek, Ga./Johns Creek) finished 3-for-4 with a run scored.
// NOTABLE
· Cincinnati closed the regular season with a 28-28 mark and a 10-14 record in The American while Houston improves to 36-19 overall and 15-9 in league play.
· Redshirt junior Connor McVey (Mason, Ohio/Mason) singled in the eighth inning to move his on-base streak to 22 consecutive games.
· Thompson doubled to lead off the game, extending his hitting streak to eight games. He led off with a hit in all three games of the series, recording a single in the opener on Thursday and ending up on third base after a double and a fielding error on both Saturday and Sunday. Since April 19, Thompson has recorded multiple hits in 12 games.
// KEY INNINGS
Top of the First
For the second straight game, Thompson led off the game with a double and advanced to third on a Houston fielding error. This time it was redshirt junior Connor McVey (Mason, Ohio/Mason) who brought him home with a groundout for a 1-0 Bearcats lead.
Bottom of the First
Also for the second straight game, the Cougars answered in the home half of the first inning, scoring five runs off freshman starting pitcher Nathan Kroger (Cincinnati, Ohio/Milford) with only one out. Freshman reliever Reese Robinson (Dayton, Ohio/Centerville) entered the game and worked himself into a jam before recording the final two outs without allowing another run to score.
Top of the Second
UC got one run back in the second. Santiago led off with a single to right and advanced to second on a groundout by junior shortstop Manny Rodriguez (Brooklyn, N.Y./Calvert Hall). Junior catcher Joey Thomas (Mason, Ohio/Mason) doubled to left-center to make the score 5-2 Houston.
Bottom of the Fourth
Back-to-back doubles scored one run for Houston for a 6-2 lead. The Cougars extended the lead to 7-2 on what looked to be a third double of the inning but the Bearcats defense got the runner out at second to end the damage.
Top of the Eighth
The Bearcats offense finally came alive in the eighth inning, scoring four runs on four hits to get within a single run at 7-6. Three consecutive singles by junior Ryan Noda (Volo, Ill./Grant), McVey and freshman Jace Mercer loaded the bases before Santiago's big hit cleared them to score three runs. Sophomore A.J. Bumpass (Rougemont, N.C./Northern) followed with a groundout that scored Santiago and pulled the visitors to within 7-6.
// UP NEXT
The Bearcats will head to Clearwater, Florida, for the 2017 American Athletic Conference Championship held May 23-28 at Spectrum Field. Cincinnati has earned the No. 6 seed in the tournament and will play its first game against No. 3 seed UConn on Wednesday, May 24, at 3 p.m. ET. The game airs live on the American Digital Network. The tournament is an eight-team double elimination modified College World Series format with one team advancing out of each group to play in a single-elimination championship game on Sunday, May 28. The Bearcats are in the second group with No. 2 Houston, No. 3 UConn and No. 7 Memphis.
// HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION
Live audio coverage of all the Bearcats during the postseason is available on GoBEARCATS.com. Matt Noonan (play-by-play) will call the action. The American Digital Network will provide live video for games leading up to the championship.
// 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.