TicketsCLEARWATER, Florida -- The University of Cincinnati baseball team dropped its opening game in the American Athletic Conference Championship to UConn by a 12-3 margin, Tuesday at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, Florida.
Cincinnati (28-29) tied things up at three in the fifth inning, but UConn (32-23) took a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the frame and added eight runs in the seventh and eighth innings to get the win.
// NOTABLE
- Redshirt junior Connor McVey (Mason, Ohio/Mason) doubled in the fifth inning to move his on-base streak to 23 consecutive games.
- Freshman Jace Mercer (Johns Creek, Ga./Johns Creek) led the team with two hits, and a run scored.
- Sophomore A.J. Bumpass (Rougemont, N.C./Northern) also notched a pair of hits for the Bearcats.
- Junior catcher Joey Thomas (Mason, Ohio/Mason) threw out his conference-leading 26th runner this season.
// KEY INNINGS
Top of the Second
The Bearcats led off the frame with three consecutive singles by freshmen Jace Mercer (Johns Creek, Ga./Johns Creek) and Eric Santiago (Bethlehem, Pa./Notre Dame Green Pond) and sophomore A.J. Bumpass (Rougemont, N.C./Northern) to take a 1-0 lead. With runners on the corners, Bumpass sent his RBI-single over the infielders and into centerfield to give the visitors the early lead.
Bottom of the Third
UConn bounced back with two runs of its own in the third inning to take a one-run lead. With a runner on second and run out, a double by John Toppa scored the tying run while Anthon Prato followed with an RBI-single to give UConn a 2-1 advantage.
Top of the Fifth
Thompson drew a leadoff walk and scored on a double by McVey to cut the UConn lead to 3-2. After McVey advanced to third on a UConn error, Mercer continued his productive day with a sacrifice fly that tied the game at 3-3.
Bottom of the Fifth
The Huskies immediately regained the lead in the home half of the fifth inning when Prato scored from second on a double by Isaac Feldstein to go ahead 4-3.
Bottom of the Seventh
Consecutive fielding errors by the Bearcats put a pair of UConn runners in scoring position with just one out. A flyout kept the runners on and the Bearcats chose to intentionally walk Feldstein to load the bases with two outs. Junior Willy Yahn stepped to the plate and snuck a home run over the fence in left field for a grand slam to give the Huskies an 8-3 lead.
// UP NEXT
The No. 6 Bearcats have a quick turnaround and will face No. 7 Memphis at 9 a.m. ET Wednesday in an elimination game. 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) on twitter. You can also find the Bearcats on Facebook.