TicketsCLEARWATER, Fla. – University of Cincinnati baseball entered the 2019 American Athletic Conference Tournament as the No. 2 seed and had a lot to prove. The Bearcats came through with a 11-6 victory over No. 7 Memphis Tuesday night in their first AAC Tournament win in program history.
UC had gone winless in the AAC Tournament since its inception. The last conference tournament victory for the Bearcats came in 2008 when the team was a member of the Big East. Entering this year's postseason, UC was trying to shake a 0-17 slide in conference tournament play, and they did in a big way.
Seniors David Orndorff and A.J. Kullman on the mound and A.J. Bumpass at the plate all had big nights for the breakthrough win. UC earns an off day on Wednesday and will take on the winner of No. 3 Tulane and No. 6 UCF Thursday evening.
// NOTABLES
• UC improves to 27-29 on the season with the win while Memphis falls to an even 27-27
• Orndorff went 6.0 innings in the start, giving up four runs early but settling in to total five hits and three strikeouts for the win
• Kullman went the distance for a 3.0 inning save, giving up two runs and four hits, but ended the game with a strikeout
• Bumpass was perfect at the plate. He finished 4-for-4 with a triple, walk, two RBI and three runs scored
• Jace Mercer also had a big night as he went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk and three runs scored
• Jeremy Johnson hit 2-for-3 with two RBI and a sacrifice bunt
• Mitch Holding also added in a double
• Every starter in the lineup got on base at some point in the game and there was production out of every spot
// KEY INNINGS
Top of the 1st
• Memphis took the lead early as the second batter of the game hit a solo homerun
Bottom of the 2nd
• Three runs in the second put UC in front. Mercer and Bumpass started the rally with base hits before an error with Cole Murphy at the plate allowed Mercer to score. Johnson then moved both runners into scoring position with a perfect bunt. Joey Bellini picked up two RBI as he drove both runners on single to center field
Top of the 3rd
• That lead was short-lived as the Tigers responded with three runs of their own. A single and walk set up a one-run double. A groundout and single allowed the other two runs to score and Memphis to lead 4-3
Bottom of the 5th
• The scoring quieted until the Bearcats broke the game open with a six-run fifth. Joey Wiemer walked, stole second and scored on Holding's double. After Mercer singled, Bumpass tripled to right center to give UC the lead. A Johnson RBI single kept the scoring going. After Eric Santiago and Bellini walked, Wyatt Stapp singled them both home
Bottom of the 6th
• UC tacked on two more in the next frame. Those runs came when Mercer double, Bumpass walked and Murphy earned a RBI on a ground out after a wild pitch advanced both runners. Johnson earned another RBI on a base hit
Top of the 8th
• The Tigers were able to get two runs back after a walk, trio of singles and a ground out, but they could not come any closer
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UC had gone winless in the AAC Tournament since its inception. The last conference tournament victory for the Bearcats came in 2008 when the team was a member of the Big East. Entering this year's postseason, UC was trying to shake a 0-17 slide in conference tournament play, and they did in a big way.
Seniors David Orndorff and A.J. Kullman on the mound and A.J. Bumpass at the plate all had big nights for the breakthrough win. UC earns an off day on Wednesday and will take on the winner of No. 3 Tulane and No. 6 UCF Thursday evening.
// NOTABLES
• UC improves to 27-29 on the season with the win while Memphis falls to an even 27-27
• Orndorff went 6.0 innings in the start, giving up four runs early but settling in to total five hits and three strikeouts for the win
• Kullman went the distance for a 3.0 inning save, giving up two runs and four hits, but ended the game with a strikeout
• Bumpass was perfect at the plate. He finished 4-for-4 with a triple, walk, two RBI and three runs scored
• Jace Mercer also had a big night as he went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk and three runs scored
• Jeremy Johnson hit 2-for-3 with two RBI and a sacrifice bunt
• Mitch Holding also added in a double
• Every starter in the lineup got on base at some point in the game and there was production out of every spot
// KEY INNINGS
Top of the 1st
• Memphis took the lead early as the second batter of the game hit a solo homerun
Bottom of the 2nd
• Three runs in the second put UC in front. Mercer and Bumpass started the rally with base hits before an error with Cole Murphy at the plate allowed Mercer to score. Johnson then moved both runners into scoring position with a perfect bunt. Joey Bellini picked up two RBI as he drove both runners on single to center field
Top of the 3rd
• That lead was short-lived as the Tigers responded with three runs of their own. A single and walk set up a one-run double. A groundout and single allowed the other two runs to score and Memphis to lead 4-3
Bottom of the 5th
• The scoring quieted until the Bearcats broke the game open with a six-run fifth. Joey Wiemer walked, stole second and scored on Holding's double. After Mercer singled, Bumpass tripled to right center to give UC the lead. A Johnson RBI single kept the scoring going. After Eric Santiago and Bellini walked, Wyatt Stapp singled them both home
Bottom of the 6th
• UC tacked on two more in the next frame. Those runs came when Mercer double, Bumpass walked and Murphy earned a RBI on a ground out after a wild pitch advanced both runners. Johnson earned another RBI on a base hit
Top of the 8th
• The Tigers were able to get two runs back after a walk, trio of singles and a ground out, but they could not come any closer
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
Stay connected with Bearcats Baseball on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.