TicketsTAMPA, Fla. – University of Cincinnati baseball found late life on Saturday night to comeback to beat USF 6-5.
Down 5-1, the Bearcats scored three in the seventh and two in the ninth to win the game with Jace Mercer hitting a game-tying homerun and Cole Murphy coming up with the go-ahead single. Korren Thompson entered the game to close it out, striking out the first batter on three pitches en route to the save.
// NOTABLES
• UC improves to 7-14 with the win while USF falls to 12-9
• Joey Bellini had a 3-for-5 night at the plate with a run scored
• Jeremy Johnson led the team with three RBI
• A.J. Bumpass hit a homerun to dead center field and Eric Santiago had a double in the seventh to join Mercer with extra-base hits
• Drake Batcho went 2.0 innings in a last-minute starting role and was followed by Jackson Murphy who threw 3.0 scoreless frames with two hits, two walks and two strikeouts
• Nathan Moore earned the win after 3.0 innings with one unearned run, two hits, two walks and three strikeouts
• Thompson's save is his second of the season
// KEY INNINGS
Bottom of the 1st
• The Bulls started scoring early, bringing their first run across after a single, stolen base, hit batter, a double steal and then a passed ball
Bottom of the 2nd
• USF scored three during the next frame. A single, two walks and a double scored the first two runs. The third came in on a wild pitch
Top of the 5th
• The Bearcats broke through after walks by Bumpass and Mitch Holding and a sacrifice fly by Johnson
Bottom of the 6th
• The Bulls got that run back on a sacrifice fly of their own after a walk, stolen base and an error
Top of the 7th
• UC's bats woke up with a big seventh inning. Bumpass started it by sending the first pitch of the inning over the 400 mark in dead center field. After Holding walked on four pitches, Santiago joined in with a double to right to put two in scoring position. Johnson sent both home on a base hit up the middle
Top of the 9th
• After a quiet eighth, the Bearcats won the game with another loud frame. With one swing of the bat, Mercer swatted a no-doubter over the left field fence to tie the game. Bellini and Wyatt Stapp kept it going with singles and Joey Weimer put runners on the corners with a fielder's choice. Murphy had the game-winning RBI when he singled through the right side on the first pitch he saw to score Bellini
// UP NEXT
• The series finale will be Sunday at noon
• Just added to the schedule, UC will host NKU on Wednesday, March 27 at 4 p.m.
• The Bearcats resume conference play on Friday, March 29 to host Tulane for a three-game series
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
Stay connected with Bearcats Baseball on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Down 5-1, the Bearcats scored three in the seventh and two in the ninth to win the game with Jace Mercer hitting a game-tying homerun and Cole Murphy coming up with the go-ahead single. Korren Thompson entered the game to close it out, striking out the first batter on three pitches en route to the save.
// NOTABLES
• UC improves to 7-14 with the win while USF falls to 12-9
• Joey Bellini had a 3-for-5 night at the plate with a run scored
• Jeremy Johnson led the team with three RBI
• A.J. Bumpass hit a homerun to dead center field and Eric Santiago had a double in the seventh to join Mercer with extra-base hits
• Drake Batcho went 2.0 innings in a last-minute starting role and was followed by Jackson Murphy who threw 3.0 scoreless frames with two hits, two walks and two strikeouts
• Nathan Moore earned the win after 3.0 innings with one unearned run, two hits, two walks and three strikeouts
• Thompson's save is his second of the season
// KEY INNINGS
Bottom of the 1st
• The Bulls started scoring early, bringing their first run across after a single, stolen base, hit batter, a double steal and then a passed ball
Bottom of the 2nd
• USF scored three during the next frame. A single, two walks and a double scored the first two runs. The third came in on a wild pitch
Top of the 5th
• The Bearcats broke through after walks by Bumpass and Mitch Holding and a sacrifice fly by Johnson
Bottom of the 6th
• The Bulls got that run back on a sacrifice fly of their own after a walk, stolen base and an error
Top of the 7th
• UC's bats woke up with a big seventh inning. Bumpass started it by sending the first pitch of the inning over the 400 mark in dead center field. After Holding walked on four pitches, Santiago joined in with a double to right to put two in scoring position. Johnson sent both home on a base hit up the middle
Top of the 9th
• After a quiet eighth, the Bearcats won the game with another loud frame. With one swing of the bat, Mercer swatted a no-doubter over the left field fence to tie the game. Bellini and Wyatt Stapp kept it going with singles and Joey Weimer put runners on the corners with a fielder's choice. Murphy had the game-winning RBI when he singled through the right side on the first pitch he saw to score Bellini
// UP NEXT
• The series finale will be Sunday at noon
• Just added to the schedule, UC will host NKU on Wednesday, March 27 at 4 p.m.
• The Bearcats resume conference play on Friday, March 29 to host Tulane for a three-game series
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
Stay connected with Bearcats Baseball on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.